Tiangco to VP Sara Duterte: Thanks for sharing our goal of peaceful PH
Vice President Sara Duterte | PHOTO: Official Facebook page of Inday Sara Duterte
MANILA, Philippines — Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas campaign manager and Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco has thanked Vice President Sara Duterte for sharing their vision of a peaceful and prosperous country, as she endorsed the senatorial bid of House Deputy Speaker Camille Villar.
In a statement on Monday, Tiangco said that turning this vision, however, requires a “steady leadership and a track record of delivering results.”
“We are glad that they share our goal for a peaceful and prosperous Philippines. But turning that vision into reality takes more than words. It requires a clear direction, steady leadership, and a track record of delivering results,” he said, after being asked by reporters regarding Duterte’s endorsement of Villar.
“Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas stands on performance, not promises. Our candidates are working with President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. to push for difficult but necessary reforms that will strengthen our institutions and improve lives,” he added.
According to Tiangco, what the country needs now are candidates who will support Marcos and his legislative agenda and “help accelerate key programs over the next three years.”
“The more we get done, the more Filipinos benefit,” he added. “This is not a time for obstruction but for collaboration that drives progress and sustains the momentum of Bagong Pilipinas.”
As early as April 13, photos of Duterte and Villar — a Nacionalista Party (NP) stalwart running under the 11-person Alyansa slate — appeared over social media, prompting talks of the Vice President endorsing Villar even if they belong to different sides.
READ: Roque posts photos of VP Duterte supporting Camille Villar’s Senate run
Alyansa, an alliance of five parties including NP, is backed by Marcos. Duterte, meanwhile, has openly feuded with the Marcoses, ending their alliance during the 2022 presidential elections.
Despite Duterte’s endorsement of Villar and Senator Imee Marcos — another NP member and a former Alyansa bet who left the umbrella — Tiangco said last April 14 that the five-party tie-up remains intact.
Tiangco also said that endorsements received by Alyansa candidates mean embracing the administration’s vision of a new Philippines.
READ: Tiangco: Endorsing Alyansa bets means embracing Bagong Pilipinas
Duterte has endorsed the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), which is headed by her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte. The PDP is fielding a 10-person slate, including Senators Bong Go and Ronald dela Rosa, both of whom are seeking reelection.
READ: VP Duterte opts for written message at PDP-Laban proclamation rally
These moves from Duterte, however, were labeled by some House of Representatives officials as a way of building support and alliances ahead of her impeachment trial at the Senate.
According to La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega, Duterte might be trying to influence senatorial candidates who, if they win in the 2025 midterm polls, will sit as senator-judges for her impeachment trial.
Despite this, Ortega said in an interview on Monday that he believes the evidence gathered by the House prosecution team is strong enough.
Duterte was impeached by the House last February 5 after 215 lawmakers filed and verified a fourth impeachment complaint. The articles of impeachment were immediately transmitted to the Senate, as the 1987 Constitution requires a trial to start “forthwith” if at least one-third of all House members—in this case, 102 out of 306—have signed and endorsed the petition.
Duterte’s impeachment was largely based on the House hearings conducted in 2024, during which allegations of confidential fund misuse within the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd) under Duterte were revealed.
At one point in the hearings, Antipolo City 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop noticed that one of the acknowledgement receipts (ARs) for the OVP’s CF expenditures was signed by a certain Mary Grace Piattos, whom he said bears a name similar to a restaurant and a potato chip brand.
ARs are proof of payment, or that funding for projects reached its intended beneficiaries. For the case of the OVP and the DepEd, these are informants who provided confidential information to authorities.
Later on, Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong showed two ARs — one for OVP and another for DepEd — which were both received by a certain Kokoy Villamin. However, the signatures and handwriting used by Villamin in the two documents differed.
Neither Piattos nor Villamin’s names appeared on the Philippine Statistics Authority database.
