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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
Vice President Sara Duterte goes on a rampage and makes her attacks personal in a bid to make Manila congressmen, who did not support her, lose. She's only partially successful.
Three congressmen from Manila — vocal critics of the Duterte family — became targets of a negative campaign led by no less than Vice President Sara Duterte. Of the three, two secured reelection. One lost.
During the campaign, Duterte made it a point to visit the districts of the lawmakers who had pushed to prosecute her and her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
She stood on makeshift stages. She walked through the cramped alleys of the city. She was warmly welcomed and hosted in the small sorties of Isko Moreno, who was running as Manila mayor. She campaigned for her father’s senatorial slate. She lashed out at the Marcos administration for allowing the International Criminal Court case against her father to proceed.
But much of her energy was focused on attacking the Manila congressmen who voted to impeach her.
The survivors
In a tight race, Manila 2nd District Representative Rolando Valeriano secured reelection with 59,865 votes against his rival Carlo Lopez, who secured, 53,650.
Valeriano’s privilege speech against the Vice President triggered the House probe into her alleged misuse of public funds.
In Valeriano’s district, Duterte mocked Valeriano’s physical attributes. She openly mocked him and even mimicked his voice on stage. “‘Yung congressman ninyo, ‘yan ‘yung mukha ng distrito ninyo. ‘Yan ‘yung pambato ninyo doon sa House of Representatives. Unang-una sa sobrang laki ng leeg niya naiipit na ‘yung boses niya,” she said.
(Your congressman, that’s the face of your district. He’s your champion in the House of Representatives. First of all, his neck is so big that it’s choking his own voice.)
Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua also won despite Duterte’s negative campaign. He was proclaimed the winner on Tuesday evening, May 13, with 55,007 votes, narrowly edging out Duterte-endorsed councilor Apple Nieto, who garnered 51,283 votes.
In Chua’s turf Quiapo, Duterte cursed the Manila 3rd District congressman. She brought an apple on stage and asked Nieto to shove it into Chua’s mouth. She also referenced Snow White, who died after eating the poisoned apple given to her by the Evil Queen.
Chua is among the lawmakers set to serve as prosecutors in Duterte’s Senate impeachment trial.
He was also one of the first outside the Makabayan bloc to call for her resignation as education secretary as early as April 2024.
It was also Chua’s committee that ordered the House detention of Duterte’s chief of staff Zuleika Lopez, an incident that caused the latter to have an anxiety attack. This episode led to the Vice President’s midnight online rampage in a virtual press conference where she “threatened” to have the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez assassinated in the event that she was killed.
Valeriano and Chua ran under the slate of incumbent Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna. Lacuna’s reelection bid failed. Moreno won.
The casualty
Benny Abante, another Manila congressman who had openly criticized Duterte, failed to secure reelection.
During a campaign rally in Sta. Ana, Duterte joined Moreno on stage and took aim at Abante, flashing an unflattering photo of the congressman sticking out his tongue.
Duterte said that Abante’s photo shows his supposed lack of respect for the people of his district.
Like in other Manila districts, Duterte endorsed Abante’s rival, Joey Uy. It was another close fight: Uy won with 64,746 votes, just 1,388 more than Abante’s 63,358.
At the House of Representatives, Abante, a pastor, led the investigation into Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.
In an August 2024 interview on Facts First with Christian Esguerra, Abante expressed regret over backing the Duterte administration, including his vote and support for Sara.
Despite the Vice President’s firepower and fury, it wasn’t national influence that absolutely sealed the fates of these Manila congressmen. It was the loyalty of the neighborhood. Even in the shadow of impeachment, politics is ultimately local. – Rappler.com
