Sara Duterte, Pacquiao attend US Embassy event

Davao City Mayor  Sara Duterte-Carpio and  Senator Manny Pacquiao attended the celebration of the  75th anniversary of United States-Philippines diplomatic relations at the US Embassy in the Philippines amid the lawmaker's recent feud with President Rodrigo Duterte.

In Tina Panaganiban-Perez's "24 Oras" report, Pacquiao said he did not interact with Duterte-Carpio despite being in the same event.

Presidential daughter Duterte-Carpio, meanwhile, declined to talk to the media.

The two, however, were seen posing together for a shot at the Embassy grounds, according to the tweet by GMA's Chino Gaston.

Amid a word war with President Duterte, possible presidential candidate Sen Pacquiao pose for pictures with the president’s daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio at the US Embassy Independence Day Celebrations. pic.twitter.com/WuLkB4wjvI

— Chino Gaston (@chinogaston) July 1, 2021

The Chief Executive has been criticizing Pacquiao in his recent speeches after the senator raised alarm over the worsening corruption in some government agencies in the Duterte administration.

Pacquiao, however, denied claims that he is attacking the President, adding that he is helping the Duterte government to address the anomalies.

"Sa dami ng nagbigay sa iba ibang ahensya, sila ang lumapit sa akin. 'Di na nila matiis, 'di ko na sila papangalanan, 'di daw nila matiis yung mga nangyayari sa ahensya," Pacquiao told reporters at the sidelines of the event.

(Agencies are reporting this corruption to me. They couldn't take it anymore. I will not name them but they cannot anymore endure these irregularities in their agency.)

In his Monday briefing, President Duterte dared his partymate acting PDP-Laban president Pacquiao to name the corrupt agencies.

Pacquiao accepted this challenge, asking Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to explain the reported overpricing of COVID-19 equipment procured by the DOH.

Duque denied these allegations and even sent  Pacquiao the DOH budget utilization reports on the equipment.—Consuelo Marquez/LDF, GMA News