Vice President Sara Duterte’s declaration that she will run for president in 2028 has shed light on the real reason behind her falling out with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., according to La Union 1st District Representative Paolo Ortega.
Speaking on Wednesday, Ortega said Duterte’s announcement clarified that her split from the administration was rooted in political repositioning rather than a principled stand on governance issues.
“The announcement removes any ambiguity,” Ortega said. “The distancing was not rooted in governance reform. It was part of a larger electoral trajectory.”
Ortega pointed to the controversy involving the alleged misuse of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which Duterte previously led.
He noted that tensions between the two camps intensified as questions surfaced over how those funds were spent.
“When Congress exercised its constitutional power of oversight and sought explanations on how confidential and intelligence funds were utilized, transparency became the central issue,” Ortega said.
“No one disputes the existence of lawful confidential funds. The issue was accountability — the duty to explain to the Filipino people how public money is safeguarded within legal parameters.”
Duterte eventually distanced herself from the Marcos administration as the House of Representatives continued its probe into the alleged irregularities surrounding the funds.
“The timeline is clear. Questions were raised. Oversight mechanisms were activated. Instead of institutional engagement, we saw political disengagement,” the La Union lawmaker said.
“Succession politics reshape alliances. That is reality. But let us not retroactively frame political repositioning as moral departure.”
Ortega emphasized that the House has a constitutional obligation to review public spending and insisted that oversight should not be misconstrued as political harassment.
“If one chooses to run for president, that is a democratic right. But the public deserves clarity: The break from the administration was triggered by accountability measures — not by a sudden discovery of corruption or inefficiency,” Ortega added.