The ACT Teachers Party-list condemned Vice President Sara Duterte for urging her brother, Davao City District 1 Rep. Paolo Duterte, to run for House of Representatives Speaker or as House Minority Leader.

House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, who ran as a Makabayan Coalition senator, said the vice president’s statement shows that the Dutertes treat the government as their family “corporation”.

“This blatant attempt to monopolize key government positions shows their reckless disregard for democratic principles and reveals their real intention to consolidate power within their family,” she said.

Rep. Castro emphasized that public office is a public trust and not an heirloom to be passed around within a family. “The Minority Leader position, in particular, is crucial for ensuring checks and balances in our democracy,” the teacher-legislator further stated.

The position should be held by a legislator who genuinely represents alternative views and not by someone who will use it for their family’s personal interests.

The position of Speaker is currently held by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s cousin, Martin Romualdez. Romualdez is expected to keep his position when the new representatives take their oath as the 20th Congress. The Marcoses are fierce Duterte rivals following the impeachment issue against Sara and Rodrigo Duterte’s detention at the International Criminal Court.

After these developments, the Dutertes absurdly claimed to be the “opposition.” Sara Duterte brought this up after the 2025 elections, promising to form and lead a “powerful opposition.”

According to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), Sara has no credibility to serve as opposition, especially since she was previously part of the ruling coalition of the Marcoses and Dutertes. “The coalition is riddled with corruption, human rights violations, and abuse of power,” Bayan stated.

The group believes that Sara’s real intention in declaring herself as “opposition” is to boost her influence, consolidate power, and evade accountability for her crimes against the people. “She conveniently self-identify as an opposition to gather support in her self-serving bid to avoid being convicted at the Senate impeachment trial,” the group said.

According to the group, the genuine opposition of the people holds both the Duterte and Marcos factions accountable for their crimes against the people.