VP Sara on 'snubbing' Speaker Romualdez: Wala ako nakita

Vice President Sara Duterte declined to comment on the supposed “snubbing” incident with Speaker Martin Romualdez at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

Romualdez was part of the Philippine delegation that joined President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his three-leg trip to the United States last week. Duterte welcomed the returning delegation on Monday evening. 

In the video, Duterte was seen walking past Romualdez to shake the hands of an official.

“Oh, Hindi ko nakita… Hindi ko nakita yung nasa social media. Di ako maka comment... Wala ako nakita,” she said in Ian Cruz’s report on “24 Oras” on Tuesday when asked about the supposed snubbing incident. 

(I did not see the video posted on social media. I cannot comment on it.)

GMA Integrated News reached out to Romualdez for comment. 

In May this year, Duterte announced her irrevocable resignation as member of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party.  She was the party chairperson prior to her resignation.

Romualdez is party president.

Though she did not state the reason for her resignation, Duterte said the Filipino people's trust in her to lead the country cannot be poisoned by "political toxicity" or undermined by "execrable political powerplay."

Earlier this month, the House of Representatives removed former President and Pampanga lawmaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab as deputy speakers after failing to sign a resolution supporting Romualdez.

Duterte had said that Arroyo and Ungab have her “full support as a politician and as a friend.”

The House of Representatives also removed the confidential and intelligence funds of some civilian agencies under the 2024 proposed national budget including the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which are both under the leadership of Duterte.

This prompted former President Rodrigo Dutetre, father of Sara, to lambast the House for being the most rotten institution, and that its members had bellies full of pork barrel—lump sum amounts that lawmakers may allocate to projects after the passage of the General Appropriations Act.

He also said he would be forced to run for either vice president or senator if his daughter gets impeached.

“Kung ano man yung decision ni Pangulong Duterte ay buo ang suporta ng pamilya sa kanya,” the Vice President said.

(Whatever his decision is, we will support him.)

Romualdez, a cousin of the President, had said he expects the relationship between the House and Duterte to improve following the latter's decision to let go of the P500 million confidential fund under the proposed 2024 national budget.

Romualdez also said that the Marcos-Duterte alliance during the 2022 elections or “UniTeam,” remains intact.

"We always work together. It is still a Uniteam. The President always wants us to work together, so we will always strive for that," he said.—Sundy Locus/LDF,GMA Integrated News