Bayad Muna Bago Kampanya! VP Sara Duterte Blasts Rep. Luistro for Skipping ₱8M Legal Fee, Calls Out ‘Debt Dodger’ in Public Rally

Vice President Sara Duterte publicly called out Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro over an alleged unpaid debt involving Duterte’s husband, lawyer Mans Carpio, during a campaign event held recently in Bauan.

In her remarks, Duterte recounted that Luistro had sought legal assistance from Carpio when the congresswoman’s husband was implicated in a rape case. While the case was eventually resolved, Duterte claimed that Luistro failed to pay the agreed-upon legal fee of ₱8 million.

“She was billed several times but never paid. That’s the kind of person we mistakenly chose—someone who runs away from their debts and pretends nothing happened,” said Duterte in a pointed statement.

The Vice President added that what made the situation more troubling was that she had seen Luistro distributing cash during the campaign despite the unpaid debt.

“Why don’t you pay your debt first? You clearly have money,” Duterte said.

Following her criticism, Duterte endorsed former congressman Raneo Abu, who is running against Luistro in the upcoming elections for Batangas' 2nd District. She praised Abu’s performance during his previous nine-year tenure in Congress and even suggested he is qualified to be the next House Speaker.

“This coming Monday, we have the chance to correct a mistake by choosing Congressman Raneo Abu,” Duterte told the crowd.

As of this writing, Rep. Luistro has not issued a statement in response to the allegations.