📷Sen. Risa Hontiveros
Vice President Sara Duterte accused Senator Risa Hontiveros of politicizing the budget hearing because the book, Isang Kaibigan (A Friend), had her name in it.
In a heated exchange during a budget hearing on Tuesday, August 20, Duterte became defensive after Hontiveros asked her about the contents of the said book which was allocated P10 million under the 2025 proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President.
Hontiveros questioned Duterte on the OVP’s initiatives that seemed to match those of other government departments. Along with livelihood support, the OVP offered medical and funeral help.
The opposition senator claimed that Duterte’s initiatives resembled those of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Health, and the Department of Labor and Employment, already running.
Duterte answered that they were only initiatives asked of her office by the public. To this, Hontiveros congratulated the vice president and recommended that the budget allotted for the OVP’s projects be put into the line agencies linked with these programs instead.
Things went awful though, when Hontiveros announced she would move the suggested program budgets into line agencies. The OVP could then ask them for the distribution.
Hontiveros followed on to inquire about the “Pagbabago Campaign” before Duterte could respond. One million pupils will get bags including a children’s book written by the vice president known as “Isang Kaibigan.”
Hontiveros inquired of Duterte about the book’s subject matter. The vice president responded by stating she would want to refute what Hontiveros earlier mentioned.
The vice president cited an old Hontiveros comment disparaging her and her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte. Hontiveros already said that the Dutertes’ threat to resume complete power still exists even while the vice president is in office.
Inquiring about the children’s book, Hontiveros questioned even further about what it was about, how much it cost, and how many will be delivered. Duterte said that just the publication would be paid for; the book was not for sale. She mentioned that Hontiveros will get a copy of the book.
The vice president still omitted to say, though, what the book was about, its price and overall distribution. Hontiveros asked her same question again.
“Madame chair, this is an example of politicizing the budget hearing through the questions of a senator,” Duterte said.
Hontiveros replied by saying: “Hindi ko maintindihan ang ugali ng ating resource person. It is a simple question. Paulit-ulit na, ‘This is politicizing.’ Ang VP ang nagbanggit ng salitang ‘boboto,’ wala akong sinabing ‘boboto.’“
The Vice President responded directly when Senator Grace Poe, head of the Senate finance committee, addressed the same question to her.
Hontiveros then said Duterte should have replied right immediately rather than developing a story.
“Budget hearing po ito. Hindi po lahat about you,” Hontiveros said. (TCSP)
