Little consensus Questions about a storybook written by Vice President Sara Duterte sparked an altercation between her and Sen. Risa Hontiveros during Tuesday’s budget debate. Things got tense when Duterte refused to directly answer why P10 million should be spent on the distribution of “Isang Kaibigan (A Friend).” Inset shows its cover and author’s page. —Senate Social Media Unit/Courtesy Photo
MANILA, Philippines — The allocation of P10 million for the publication of a children’s book written by Vice President Sara Duterte sparked a heated exchange between the vice president and Senator Risa Hontiveros, with Hontiveros questioning the adequacy of the item in the 2025 budget proposal by the country’s two top officials.
During a Senate budget hearing on Tuesday, President Duterte was defending the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) P2.037 billion spending proposal when Hontiveros called attention to an item in the OVP’s P100 million “Pagbabago Campaign, One Million Learners and Tree Planting” program.
The senator noted that a budget of P10 million had been allocated for the publication of President Duterte’s book, “Isang Kaibigan” (Friend).
“Politicization of the budget”
The book, released last November, tells the story of an unlikely friendship between an owl and a parrot. The back cover features a short profile of Duterte, explaining her current and past roles in the government and calling her a “true friend.”
“Could the Vice President please elaborate a bit more on this book?” Hontiveros asked in Filipino.
The senator’s questions, however, intrigued President Duterte, who accused Hontiveros of “politicizing” the OVP’s budget request.
Rather than answer questions, former President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter cited excerpts from a recent speech purportedly given by Hontiveros in which she claimed that Duterte and her father were “backed by the superpower China.”
“This is an example of politicizing the budget deliberations through senators’ questions,” Duterte fumed.
“The book is not for sale,” she emphasized. “We are only paying the publication fees and will send a copy to Senator Hontiveros so that he knows what the book is about.”
“Her problem is that my name is in the book and that book is going to be distributed to children whose parents are voters. And my name is going to be in the places where this book is distributed,” she added.
Vice President Hontiveros’ response was not convincing, and he reminded her that it is the job of legislators to scrutinize the budget proposals of state government agencies.
“I don’t understand the attitude of our resource person. It’s a simple question, but she keeps saying this is ‘politicization,'” Hontiveros said in Filipino.
“I never said anything about ‘voters,’ I was just asking. I don’t (understand) why we are making such a problem and such a fuss over the P10 million I asked about,” she said.
“I don’t like this attitude. Usually, our resource persons show institutional courtesy towards the legislative branch, but the same goes for the executive branch.”
An infuriated President Duterte responded, “I also don’t understand the attitude of Senator Risa Hontiveros. What is she talking about?”
She later alleged that Hontiveros had sought her assistance in running for the Senate for a third time in 2016 after losing his previous two Senate elections.
“My question has absolutely nothing to do with what the vice president just said, so I really take issue with the vice president’s assertion of ‘politicization,'” Hontiveros countered.
“I’m just asking about the national budget that Congress is going to pass for the country in 2025,” she said.
Hontiveros also questioned the validity of the OVP’s request to set aside more than P1.9 billion for financial assistance and other social services already being provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Department of Health.
Speaking before a Senate committee chaired by Sen. Grace Poe, the vice president said the OVP’s spending plan for next year is slightly higher than the P1.885 billion it received in 2024.
No secret funds
Unlike last year’s budget proposal, Duterte’s office did not request the confidentiality fee following the controversy over the OVP receiving budgets for 2022 and 2023 that were difficult to audit.
Duterte also headed the Department of Education until he resigned in July over a political feud between his family and that of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The department also received secret funds under his leadership but will no longer receive them next year.
Poe, who is set to defend the OVP spending plan in the plenary session, stepped in to ease tensions between President Duterte and Hontiveros.
“I understand there is a history between all of us here, but I think we should really stick to the budget,” said Poe, who lost to Duterte’s father in the 2016 presidential election.
She turned to the vice president and said, “I think this is very objective. Maybe it’s just a general statement, but what is this book about? Is it a book about good manners and doing the right thing? Very well.”
Duterte said the book is actually about friendship. “The title explains it,” she added.
“If she had answered that way (we wouldn’t be having this discussion),” Hontiveros said.
“Let me put it on the record, this is a matter of public funds. We are looking into it. This is a budget hearing. It’s not all about you,” the senator told President Duterte.
House of Representatives showdown
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, President Duterte said he simply wanted to point out Hontiveros’ prejudices against him.
She said she looks forward to defending the OVP budget in the House of Representatives, where many of the president’s allies are rumored to be plotting to impeach her.
“If I am removed or impeached, the position of vice president will not be a loss for me,” Duterte said.
“They really want to remove the Duterte family from politics so we are just waiting to see what they will do next… They even brought up my husband’s name in drug smuggling,” she said, referring to the allegations made against her husband, lawyer Manasses Carpio, and Davao City Councilor Paolo Duterte during a House of Representatives Committee 4 hearing.
When asked if he regretted forming a “uniteam” with the president for the 2022 elections, Duterte paused before answering: “Do I need to answer that question?”
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“If I wasn’t running for vice president, they would be attacking me as mayor,” she said. — From an Inquirer Research report
