'That's a bit too much speculation,' Romualdez says, reacting to theories that the House's removal of Duterte's confidential fund is an early infighting move related to the 2028 presidential elections
MANILA, Philippines – Speaker Martin Romualdez brushed aside suspicions that the House of Representatives’ decision to strip Vice President Sara Duterte of her confidential funds for 2024 was politically motivated.
In a rare press conference on Thursday, October 5, Romualdez said observers who see the move as an early political maneuvering by him ahead of the 2028 elections are “reading too much into it.” “That’s a bit too much speculation,” Romualdez insisted. “Under the circumstances, we felt it would be best that [the funds] be realigned to agencies and departments or areas we consider a priority.”An apparent feud spilled into the open in May in the aftermath of an internal quarrel in the House involving Romualdez and his mentor, former president and current Pampanga 2nd District Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Duterte is requesting P650 million in combined confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education for 2024.Dwight de Leon is a multimedia reporter who covers the House of Representatives and the Commission on Elections for Rappler. Previously, he wrote stories on local government units.
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