Cheyenne Suarez

VP Sara on allegations vs brother Paolo: Video can help voters make 'informed decision'

Vice President Sara Duterte and Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte. George Calvelo and Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><strong></strong></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1746521813048sara.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Vice President Sara Duterte and Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte. George Calvelo and Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Vice President Sara Duterte and Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte. George Calvelo and <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte said that the video allegedly showing her brother Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte threatening a civilian with a knife can “help voters decide which candidate to choose” in the upcoming 2025 midterm elections, but maintained that controversy surrounding her sibling remains to be a “political attack.”</p><p>A businessman recently filed an assault case against Rep. Duterte after the lawmaker allegedly mauled him for hours inside a bar in Davao City in February.</p><p>The Vice President said while she is yet to speak with Rep. Duterte, she has already seen a portion of the video.</p><p>“Hindi ko na nakita iyong buong video at actually, para sa akin, okay ito na lumabas siya bago ang eleksyon para yung mga botante, nakakapagdesisyon sila ng maayos kung sino yung pipiliin nila,” the Vice President said on the sidelines of an event in Mindanao.</p><p>“Clearly, atake lang talaga siya para sa paninira… But still, if we look at the bright side of things, buti na iyong lumabas siya ngayon para yung mga tao informed decision iyong pagpili nila ng kandidato,” she said.</p><p>“As I said, iyon yung good thing about it pero, it’s really a political attack,” she added.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/5/5/-2-oras-niya-ako-binugbog-rep-duterte-s-accuser-recounts-alleged-assault-0155">&#x27;2 oras niya ako binugbog&#x27;: Rep. Duterte&#x27;s accuser recounts alleged assault</a></div><p>Rep. Duterte earlier said he is <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/5/3/rep-paolo-duterte-awaiting-authentication-of-video-showing-alleged-assault-1535">waiting for the authentication of a video spreading online</a> allegedly showing him threatening and assaulting a man at a bar, adding in a video message sent by his office that he cannot respond to the criminal complaint against him until he receives a copy of it.</p><p>The attack against her elder brother is part of the national government’s orchestrated campaign against the Duterte family and their allies, the second-in-command alleged.</p><p>“Palagay ko, walang kinalaman iyong mga candidates ni Marcos sa Davao City sa pag-file ng case,” she said, when asked if she sees “any hand of local politics” in the controversy that erupted over a week before the elections.</p><p>“This is purely Philippine National Police at CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) kasi hindi naman ang nagko-control ng mga candidates ni Pangulong Marcos doon sa Davao City ay hindi naman sila eh,” she said.</p><p>“Masyadong klaro iyong pattern ng administration na kapag mayroon silang kapalpakan, ay inililihis nila ang issue at iyong istorya doon sa pagpunta sa pag-atake sa kalaban sa pulitika… Isa iyon sa mga strategy ng national na pabagsakin iyong pamilya namin,” she said.</p><p>Malacañang earlier criticized Vice President Duterte for accusing the Marcos administration of orchestrating the recent controversy hounding Rep. Duterte to cover up the government&#x27;s supposed failure to provide P20 per kilo rice to the public.</p><p>&quot;As I have said during the last press briefing that the Vice President should have at least leveled up in her discussions, in her responses in certain issues,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said.</p><p>“But it seems that she never heard anything in regard to that o she just refuses to listen,” she said.</p><p>After the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte in March, the Vice President has been rallying her siblings and their allies to help boost the chances of their allies to win one of the 12 vacant seats in the Senate.</p><p>While Vice President Duterte has repeatedly called on voters to support the so-called “Duter-10” candidates, she has also urged the public to check the track record of each political aspirant, instead of just relying on their last names.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/11/22/vp-duterte-tells-voters-don-t-vote-based-on-political-names-2146">VP Duterte tells voters: &#x27;Don&#x27;t vote based on political names&#x27;</a></div><p>&quot;Galing ako sa political dynasty, obvious naman &#x27;yan… Pero hindi dahil galing sa pamilya ng pulitiko ay automatic na ang boto n&#x27;yo,” the Vice President said in an earlier press conference.</p><p>“Pagisipan n&#x27;yo kung ano ang kapasidad ng tao na &#x27;yan bago tayo bumoto, &#x27;wag bumoto dahil sa apelyido,” she said.</p><p>The Vice President has also urged voters not to be swayed by candidates who simply sing and dance in sorties, instead of laying out solid platforms and plans for the nation.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XYh2cT1V9c8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The Vice President said while she is yet to speak with Rep. Duterte, she has already seen a portion of the video.</p>

The Vice President said while she is yet to speak with Rep. Duterte, she has already seen a portion of the video.