(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, Feb. 14, apologized to Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez months after he was ousted as speaker of the House of Representatives.
“Alam mo kaibigan talaga kami ni speaker noon pa. So I am very sorry that it had to happen but si Inday ang…Hindi ko rin kaya sa totoo lang,” Duterte said.
Duterte was referring to his daughter, Davao Mayor Sara Duterte, who was believed to have been behind Alvarez’s ouster in July last year.
This was after the presidential daughter called out Alvarez for calling her a member of the opposition when she put up the regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago.
The President and Alvarez are members of the political party PDP-Laban.
The Davao mayor retorted the regional party had her father’s blessing.
During his term as speaker, Alvarez sanctioned congressmen who voted against the death penalty, resulting in Gloria Arroyo losing her post as deputy speaker, among others.
Arroyo was installed as the new Speaker during the ouster that came on the same day President Duterte made his Speech of the Nation Address.