Sara Duterte believes Marcos gov’t now ‘unstable’

Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday expressed belief that the Marcos government is no longer stable amid allegations of corruption where several lawmakers were being implicated. 

Duterte made the remark at a press conference at the Senate after a finance subcommittee approved the proposed P902.895 million budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for fiscal year 2026 in less than an hour. 

She was asked by reporters if she thinks the government is still stable amid the corruption issues, to which she answered, “No.”

“Our institutions are clearly abused. They are used for personal gain…and we have already seen the testimony of witnesses about corruption and there is practically nothing happening in our country,” Duterte said. 

“Nakailang ulit ko na ‘yan sinasabi noon na tigilan ‘yung pulitika, tigilan ang pag-una ng pansariling interest kasi walang nangyayari sa ating bansa. Meron ba kayong nakikita at all na project na nakatulong sa ating bayan? Wala,” she added. 

(I've said many times before to stop politicking, to stop putting personal interest first because nothing is happening in our country. Do you see any projects that have helped our people? There’s nothing.) 

Duterte, however, was mum when asked regarding the morale of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). 

“Hmm…hindi ko alam. Hindi ako makapagsalita sa morale ng mga sundalo. Siguro pinakamabuti na magsalita patungkol sa morale ay sila na mismo ang magsabi,” she said.

(Hmm...I don't know about that. I can't speak regarding the morale of the soldiers. Maybe it's best if they speak for themselves.) 

The AFP previously described rumors of destabilization and an alleged coup against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as a baseless and unfounded "malicious narrative."

Duterte’s statement was in contrast to that of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who assured earlier this month that the Philippine government remains “very stable” despite the supposed anomalies in flood control projects allegedly involving public officials. 

Bersamin had said that he does not see any threats in the government even as names of several lawmakers were recently floated in the hearings into the flood control issue. 

In reaction to the Vice President's remarks, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said this was a huge lie. 

''Isang malalaking kasinungalingan na naman 'to. Alam natin na matatag ang ating gobyerno, ang pamahalaang... ang administrasyong Marcos Jr., ito ay ginigiba lamang ng mga obstructionists na tulad nila,'' Castro told Palace reporters. 

(This is a huge lie. We all know that the Marcos administration is stable and some obstructionists like them are just trying to discredit the government.)

''Malamang hindi nila nakikita ang ginagawa ng Pangulo dahil bulag sila, nagbubulag-bulagan, nakapikit ang mata,'' she added. 

(They don't see what the President is doing because they're blinded, pretending to be blind, their eyes are closed.)  —AOL, GMA Integrated News