MANILA Rep. Rolando Valeriano yesterday hit back at Vice President Sara Duterte after she insulted him for his physical appearance during a campaign rally with Manila mayoral candidate Isko Moreno last Thursday night, saying the people of Tondo will not stoop down to the level of rude politicians like Duterte.
“Mabubuting tao at may wastong asal po kaming mga taga-Tondo. Hindi kami nakikipagbastusan sa mga bastos (We, the people of Tondo are good human beings and have good manners. We don’t engage in gutter language with rude people),” he said in a statement.
The administration lawmaker was reacting to Duterte’s remarks during the campaign rally where the vice president mocked his looks and told the crowd that she was wondering why Valeriano – who sponsored the House Committee on Good Government’s investigation into her alleged misuse of confidential funds – was elected as their representative in Congress.
“Yung congressman ninyo, yan yung mukha ng distrito ninyo. ‘Yan yung pambato ninyo doon sa House of Representatives. Unang una, sa sobrang laki ng leeg niya, naiipit na yung boses niya (Your congressman is the face of the district. He represents you in the House of Representatives. First of all, his neck is so big that so it’s hard for his voice to come out),” she said.
Valeriano however said “no amount of personal insult can erase the real, tangible service” that he has delivered to the second district of Manila.
“Kahit araw-arawin pa nina Sara at Isko ang panlalait sa akin — sa leeg ko, sa tyan ko, hindi nito mabubura ang tapat at totoong serbisyong naihatid ko sa ikalawang distrito ng Maynila (Even if Sara and Isko mock me everyday, my neck my belly, it cannot erase the honest and true service I brought to the second district of Manila),” he said.
As a Manileño who grew up in Tondo, Valeriano said loyalty in Tondo “is grounded in principle, not convenience.” “Matatapang din kaming mga taga-Tondo. Hindi kami kakampi o maninikluhod sa kahit na sinong kampon ng kasamaan para lang sa ambisyon. Bagkus, ipaglalaban namin ang tapat at totoo (Us from Tondo are also brave. We don’t team up or bow down to anyone who is a minion of evil just for ambition. Instead, we’ll fight for what is honest and true),” he said.
Valeriano said that instead of engaging in mudslinging and negative campaigning Asenso Manileño, the local party he chairs, “continues to focus on achievements that directly impact the lives of Manileños.”
“The voters want to see results from the taxes they pay. So, we delivered health facilities, police precincts, financial aid and scholarships. Tangible results are what voters here look for,” Valeriano said.
He cited his major accomplishments in his district, such as the construction of 95 out of 122 barangay halls, with a commitment to complete the rest if he wins a new term and health infrastructure upgrades through the construction and improvement of the Barrio Obrero Health Center and Tayabas Health Center.
During a campaign sortie with Moreno in Quiapo, which is located in the third district which is represented by Rep. Joel Chua, Duterte also insulted the lawmaker who chairs the House good government panel and who is a member of the prosecution team in her upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate,
Duterte said Chua’s rival Apple Nieto should shove an apple down Chua’s throat until he dies but the lawmaker laughed it off, saying he does not engage in negative campaigning.
