Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Sandro Marcos fired a stinging counter at Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte on Wednesday, saying the latter would have understood the inner workings of the House of Representatives had he been present in sessions—rather than preoccupied with explaining the P51 billion in flood control funds poured into his district during his father’s administration.
In a chance interview, Marcos dismissed Duterte’s claim that the speakership transition to Isabela 6th District Rep. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III was a scheme he orchestrated to protect administration allies. Marcos said the House leadership change underwent weeks of consultation with party leaders, and accused Duterte of lashing out without knowing the facts.
“That might have been how things worked when he was the President’s son,” Marcos said, alluding to Duterte’s tenure during former president Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. “But that’s not how it works now. We’ve been holding consultations for weeks. If only Cong. Pulong actually showed up to sessions, he would’ve seen that.”
Marcos then delivered a pointed barb that has since reverberated across political circles:
“I’m sure he’s just busy looking for the P51 billion spent in his district.”
The figure refers to flood control allocations that Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral earlier confirmed were funneled into Duterte’s district between 2020 and 2022 under the General Appropriations Act. Despite the staggering amount, Davao City has remained prone to flooding—prompting congressional scrutiny and sparking public outrage over alleged fund misuse.
Duterte, for his part, had criticized Dy’s elevation to the speakership, claiming it was a “cover-up” to shield allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Majority Leader Marcos within the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas from corruption probes. “This is just the same old system with new faces,” Duterte said, challenging the administration to file cases against corrupt lawmakers instead of reshuffling leadership.
The P51-billion controversy has rattled both chambers of Congress, even triggering a change in Senate leadership after former Senate president Francis Escudero was ousted amid scrutiny of campaign donations from flood control contractors. While former Speaker Martin Romualdez has not been linked to the projects, he was among those named by contractor-couple Pacifico “Curlee” and Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya as alleged recipients of kickbacks.
Marcos, however, sought to draw a clear line: “We are cleaning up. But those who abandoned their posts don’t get to question how we do the work they refused to show up for.”
As the House reorganizes under Speaker Dy, Marcos’ biting comment has shifted the spotlight back on Pulong Duterte—and the still-unanswered question of where the P51 billion in flood control funds actually went.