When the truth leaks from the family vault.
There are plot twists even the best soap operas would reject for being too unbelievable. Yet in the wild world of Philippine politics, reality continues to out-parody fiction. Case in point: Vice President Sara Duterte — once her father’s fiercest defender — now sounds like the key witness in an investigation that could dig up the very skeletons buried during his time in power.
At a recent Pandesal Forum in Quezon City, the Vice President finally revealed what many had been demanding to know: where did her controversial confidential funds in the Department of Education (DepEd) go? Her answer landed like a plot twist no one saw coming. The money, she said, was used to investigate corruption inside her own agency — including the anomalous laptop deal allegedly involving the construction firm owned by former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co.
So there it is. The P112.5 million “secret funds” that even DepEd once claimed not to know the purpose of were, according to Sara, spent to dig into corruption — corruption that may well trace back to allies of her father’s administration. If this were a movie, it would be called “The Daughter Who Knew Too Much.”
The laptop that wouldn’t shut down.
The DepEd laptop scandal has lingered like a ghost that refuses to rest. Overpriced, underpowered, and overexplained — the laptops became the symbol of bureaucratic absurdity. Now, with Sara’s revelation, that ghost just got new life. Because Zaldy Co isn’t some random name plucked out of thin air — he’s a contractor whose empire, Sunwest Development and Construction Corporation, became one of the pandemic’s most curious beneficiaries.
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) earlier reported that Sunwest bagged ₱1.32 billion worth of pandemic contracts under the Duterte administration’s Bayanihan program — the same period when Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. became synonymous with pandemic profiteering. Sunwest, a construction company, suddenly found itself selling medical supplies. Truly, no business is impossible when you have friends in high places.
So when Sara said her funds were used to investigate corruption in DepEd — including Co’s alleged laptop deal — she might as well have opened an encrypted folder marked “Family Secrets.”
When the boomerang comes back
The irony is almost poetic. In her effort to defend herself against impeachment complaints over her confidential funds, Sara may have detonated the very narrative that could haunt the Duterte legacy. Her explanation — meant to show transparency — instead illuminated the networks of privilege and corruption that thrived during her father’s term.
By naming Co, she didn’t just target one businessman; she reignited questions about how Sunwest and others got pandemic-era contracts in the first place. And the timing couldn’t be more cinematic: while she’s in open conflict with President Bongbong Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez, her revelation unintentionally digs up the ghosts of Duterte’s own governance.
It’s as if she fired an arrow at the House of Romualdez — only to realize it ricocheted straight into Davao.
The confidential confession.
For months, Sara Duterte dodged questions about how she used her DepEd and Office of the Vice President’s confidential funds — worth over ₱600 million combined. She repeatedly cited “national security” and “ongoing investigations” as reasons for her silence. But now, she has offered what sounds like a confession — or perhaps, a declaration of accidental transparency.
According to her, the money was spent to “start a probe” into corruption within DepEd. In other words, she claims she used secret funds to uncover secrets. And who were the suspects? A company tied to a political ally from her father’s circle — Zaldy Co.
It’s a plot so tangled it deserves its own Netflix series: “Confidential: The Woman Who Investigated Herself.”
State witness Sara: The daughter who testified
In a normal democracy, a vice president investigating her own agency for corruption would be a sign of reform. In the Philippines, it’s a family feud with budget allocations. Sara’s statement effectively makes her a star witness — perhaps not officially, but symbolically — in the ongoing saga of pandemic-era corruption.
Who else but the former education secretary herself could shed light on the mysterious DepEd laptops, the pandemic contracts, and the spending trail of hundreds of millions in confidential funds? If ever called to the Senate floor, Sara could make history as the first Philippine vice president to testify against her own administration’s lineage.
Imagine the headlines: “Sara Duterte Takes the Stand: Daughter of Former President Spills on Laptop Deal and Pandemic Contracts.”
At this rate, even the Commission on Audit might need popcorn.
The lesson no one asked for Sara Duterte’s predicament reveals the perfect paradox of Philippine politics: the pursuit of power often exposes the corruption it once protected. Her remarks about “using confidential funds to fight corruption” may sound noble — until you realize she’s pointing at the very house her family built.
The DepEd laptop scandal is no longer just about overpriced computers; it’s about political dynasties short-circuiting under the weight of their own contradictions. Sara didn’t mean to reveal too much — but sometimes, honesty slips out like a file accidentally dragged into the wrong folder.
So yes, perhaps she really should be treated as a state witness — not against one man, but against a system that’s been copy-pasting the same corruption template for decades.
And if this political soap opera has taught us anything, it’s this: when a Duterte says she’s investigating corruption, brace yourself.
The next plot twist might just come with receipts.