INDEPENDENT senatorial aspirant Heidi Mendoza has called out a supporter of Vice President Sara Duterte for a post on X (formerly Twitter) that she took as a potential threat to her life.
In a post on the microblogging platform dated March 2, 2025, account user @mongramosjr urged families of confidential informants to “unahin patumbahin si Heidi Mendoza” (take down Heidi Mendoza first) if their personal details are revealed.
The post appears to be a reaction to the statement given by the former state auditor during an interview on TV5’s Morning Matters aired last February 27 where she said that the Duterte, as agency head of the Office of the Vice President, has the obligation to disclose the identities of the confidential informants who allegedly received payments from confidential funds.
Mendoza said the guidelines on the use of confidential funds required that there should be a separate ledger on the real names and other personal information which must be presented to the Commission on Audit or the Congress upon demand.
The senatorial bet was a COA commissioner when the rules on the use of confidential and intelligence funds were drafted and approved.
During the interview, Mendoza clarified that the information on confidential informants would only be accessible to lawmakers in their oversight exercise over the government budget or the COA Commission Proper composed of the chairperson and the two commissioners.
Mendoza confronted the account user to be straightforward if his post was a threat on her person.
Instead of responding however, @mongramosjr accused the senatorial bet of maligning Duterte while putting the lives of the OVP informants at risk.
In her own post on X, Mendoza said she is considering legal action and tagged human rights lawyer Howard Calleja even as she called on her supporters on the platform not to engage with the original post to prevent it from gaining traction.
“We must confront fake news for wrecking our nation and we should never take threats sitting by. A healthy discourse is what makes a healthy democracy. Without it, coupled with less comprehension, would corrupt it,” she said.
She warned supporters that the post might just be an attempt to gain attention.
“To my followers, let us deny this troll the clout he is after. Disengage, do not reply or retweet. It would be a waste of your time and his gain if he gets the attention he craves,” Mendoza added.
She voiced assurances that threats would not cow her into silence.
“When you see injustice and corruption, silence is not an option. You have to be prepared to fight regardless of intimidation or risk of physical harm because public service is not about yourself but about common good,” the former COA official said.
