Feud between Philippines’ Duterte and Marcos camps worsens over embezzlement allegations

The budget for Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s office has been slashed as she alleges an impeachment ‘plot’ against her

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Cutouts of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and VP Sara Duterte-Carpio displayed at a protest along a road leading to the Philippine Congress in Quezon City. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 12:00pm, 13 Sep 2024

The feud between the Duterte and Marcos families in the Philippines escalated this week with both sides trading accusations of embezzlement, sparking a budgetary battle and raising the prospect of impeachment proceedings against the vice-president.

On Thursday, the House of Representatives – led by Speaker Martin Romualdez, cousin to President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr – announced a 65 per cent cut to Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s proposed 2025 budget for her office.

This followed accusations by Duterte-Carpio that Romualdez and Zaldy Co, the House appropriations committee chair, had diverted public funds meant for classroom construction and repairs.

Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, had campaigned together with Marcos Jnr on a unified ticket to win the 2022 elections. However, the alliance between their powerful political families has turned in recent months into a bitter rivalry as they work to strengthen their coalitions ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

The vice-president did not attend a House budget hearing on Tuesday in which she was meant to defend her office’s budget requests, including her controversial use of confidential funds in 2022.