Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo 'Pulong' Duterte received a total of ₱51 billion budget during the last three years of his father's administration, Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Elizaldy Co revealed on Thursday, January 18.
Interviewed during DZRH Dos Por Dos, Co said he had requested a physical document from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to prove the fund allocation.
"Ang balita ko diyan sa ₱51 billion ay in three years, that's so much [...] Itong ₱51 billion, pinapahanap ko na ito. Wala pa akong hawak na dokumento pero ang narinig ko, mukhang 99 percent is itong ₱51 billion totoo po iyan," he said.
Based on the document circulating online, Duterte allegedly received the following appropriations for his district:
- ₱13,745,650 (2020)
- ₱25,034,643 (2021)
- ₱13,048,889 (2022)
DPWH, according to Co, confirmed the veracity of the circulating document through a phone call.
"Nung kumakalat yung dokumentong yan, tumawag tayo and nag-verify na rin. Kinonfirm ng DPWH na totoo nga raw itong dokumento. Sa DBM naman, I think they are going to issue [...] gusto ko sana magkaroon ng totoong dokumento," he said.
The lawmaker described the increase as "historical" since he said that every congressman only receives an average of ₱500 to ₱1 billion under the National Expenditure Program.
"Kung ₱2 billion, ₱3 billion, o ₱4 billion ka, medyo sacred cow ka diyan," he added.
Co said the ₱51 billion budget should have been used for flood control projects in Davao City.
"Nagtaka talaga ako. Sana wala nang baha sa Davao City kung nagamit ng tama [at] naiplano nang todo itong mga pondong ito," he said.
Since Tuesday, January 16, thousands were displaced in Davao due to the strong rains and floods induced by the shear line.
