Sara Duterte decries 'organized demolition job' against her

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte believes she has been targeted by an “organized demolition job” based on the escalation of personal attacks against her online as well as the public’s reaction to her push for confidential funds last year.

In a statement released Thursday night, Duterte said that recent “attacks” meant to ruin her reputation have become more “intense, severe and desperate,” and these aim to frame her as a “killer” or “someone corrupt, abusive, traitorous and a war lord.”

“We can see it in the attack on confidential funds, the spread of the video of Commonwealth traffic, making an issue out of the security personnel of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), the witness who came out to accuse me of being part of the Davao Death Squad, in the malicious report about my guns, and the disrespectful remarks about my relationship with my husband,” Duterte said in Filipino.

In 2023, the vice president had sought to include P650 million worth of confidential funds in the proposed budget of the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) combined, arguing that the secret lump sum would be used to “mold children who are patriotic” and those opposing the fund were “enemies of the nation" for obstructing peace.

Despite repeated requests for transparency by lawmakers, and public outrage over the secret funds she obtained in the previous budget cycle, Duterte refused to disclose precisely how the confidential funds of the OVP and DepEd would be spent.

After widespread criticisms, both the House of Representatives and the Senate realigned the OVP and the DepEd’s confidential and intelligence budget to national agencies focused on defending the West Philippine Sea.

During roughly the same period, Duterte was also falsely accused of ordering a portion of the Commonwealth to be blocked off to allow her convoy to pass through, which a Quezon City police officer was heard saying in a viral video. The police officer involved said that the instructions to make way for a “VIP” confused him and has since apologized for the incident.

Last January, retired police officer and self-confessed hitman Arturo Lascañas said during a press conference Duterte came