VP Sara kill plot meant to distract from confi fund mess —Romualdez

Speaker Martin Romualdez on Monday denied the allegation of Vice President Sara Duterte that he is plotting to kill her, saying it was a "desperate attempt" to divert attention from her office’s questionable use of public funds.

“Let us address another serious matter. The Vice President's unfounded and baseless accusations that I am plotting to destroy her because of alleged political ambitions for 2028 elections. My colleagues, these accusations are not only untrue. They are a desperate attempt to distract from the real issues at hand,” Romualdez said. 

“Malinaw ang katotohanan. Ang trabaho ko bilang Speaker ay maglingkod, hindi manira. Ang politika ng paninira ay kailanman hindi naging bahagi ng aking prinsipyo. These unfounded accusations are not just about me. They are an affront to the House of Representatives,” Romualdez added.

(The truth is clear. My job as the Speaker is to serve, not to engage in demolition job. Being a part of such a demolition job has never been among my principles.)

The Vice President earlier said that the Speaker is plotting to kill her, and that if she is killed, she has already contracted a person tasked to kill President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos and Speaker Romualdez.

Romualdez is the cousin of the President.

“[These] are an attempt to erode public trust in this institution, to sow division, and to create chaos. We choose unity over division, dialogue over conflict, and cooperation over confrontation. Why these baseless accusations?" he said.

"The answer is simple: to divert attention from the mounting evidence of fraud used under her leadership and accept vague explanations and evasive responses,” he added referring to the ongoing House panel inquiry on the budget use of the Vice President, including over P600 million of confidential funds.

“Kung wala kang itinatago, bakit hindi sagutin ang mga tanong?,” Romualdez added.

(If you have nothing to hide, why refuse to answer questions?)—LDF, GMA Integrated News