MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday leveled corruption accusations against First Lady Liza Marcos, alleging that she was behind the distribution of cash-filled envelopes routed through the Department of Education (DepEd).
During an online press conference, Duterte claimed that Mrs. Marcos provided instructions on how to obtain “millions” of pesos through a video call and a written note, though she did not specify the purpose of the money.
“Liza Marcos, do you remember sending me that video? You told me where to get the money. You even showed the face of the person in your video message,” Duterte said, expressing her anger.
“You sent me written instructions about money, millions a month. What was written on the envelope? Department of Education. What did I do? I gave it to DepEd. P* ina mo ka!” she added.
Duterte further criticized Marcos, saying, “You don’t even have a position in the government, yet you’re distributing government money.”
The vice president’s outburst followed tensions in the House of Representatives, where lawmakers pushed to transfer Zuleika Lopez, Duterte’s chief of staff, from a detention area in the Batasang Pambansa to a correctional facility.
Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday accused the Marcos family of politically persecuting the Office of the Vice President (OVP) after she resigned from the administration.
Duterte also slammed the Marcoses over allegations of a cash distribution scheme involving the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure as Education Secretary.
During an emotional online press conference, Duterte lashed out at the Marcoses, saying, “Are you going to ruin the reputation of my staff in the OVP? You’re telling people that this is stolen money, that it’s from confidential funds, but you don’t even have proof that it’s confidential funds,” Duterte said, referring to the ongoing controversy over DepEd’s alleged distribution of cash-filled envelopes.
She added, “You didn’t even reveal that there were no confidential funds yet, but already there were white envelopes. This was back in 2022. What’s your explanation for that? There were already orders for money to be given to DepEd,” though she did not clarify the purpose of the money.
The accusations come after reports earlier this year, in which several former and current DepEd officials testified before lawmakers, claiming they had been receiving envelopes filled with thousands of pesos monthly during Duterte’s tenure as Education Secretary.
Duterte had previously challenged one of the accusers, former DepEd official Gloria Mercado, to provide documentation to support her claim.
“If you’re going to accuse someone, you should have papers to back it up,” Duterte said in a September press conference.
“Gloria Mercado is a disgruntled former employee of DepEd who was dismissed due to a loss of trust and confidence in the office of the Secretary,” she added.
In addition to the DepEd allegations, Duterte also accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Marcos of pilfering campaign funds.
According to Duterte, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez revealed this to her while they were on a plane during the election campaign. “Martin, we’re campaigning, we’re on the plane, and you complained that there was no money for the campaign. You said, ‘BBM and Liza Marcos have the funds,'” Duterte claimed.
Duterte further alleged that the Marcoses had been withholding funds during the campaign, adding, “You were squeezing money out of us. You complained, and I told you not to worry, that I would send whatever help I could.”
Some media outlets have attempted to contact the President, First Lady, and Speaker Romualdez for comment, but have yet to receive a response.