VP Sara Duterte trades barbs with House members during OVP budget hearing
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte got into a long, heated exchange with members of the House of Representatives during the deliberation for the Office and the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed 2025 budget.
At the beginning of the hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 27, Duterte had first requested to discuss the proposed budget worth P2.037 billion and refused to answer questions on this as they would only “waste time.”
“I would like to forgo the opportunity to defend the budget in the question-and-answer format. I would leave it to the House to decide on the budget submitted,” Duterte told members. However, House Appropriations Committee senior vice chairperson Stella Quimbo firmly decided to go ahead with the proceedings, to which Duterte replied, “Magsasayang tayo ng oras dito, paulit ulit ‘yung sagot.”
For her part, Quimbo said, “I believe karapatan din po ng bawat Pilipino na marinig po nila ang katanungan po ng 17 (members listed for interpellation) na nakalista ngayon.”
Disallowance of P73 million from 2022 confidential funds
The hearing got intense when ACT Teachers Party List Representative France Castro brought up the Commission on Audit’s (COA) notice of disallowance to the OVP in 2022, asking how Duterte spent her P125 million confidential funds during the said year.
As per COA’s Notice of Disallowance, P69.7 million was disallowed due to the non-submission of documents indicating the success of information gathering or surveillance activities to support the acknowledgment receipts for payments of rewards in cash, various goods, and medicines.
Meanwhile, the remaining P3.5 million was disallowed because they were payments for tables, chairs, desktop computers, and printers, but weren’t specified that they were intended for confidential operations/activities, thus non-compliant with the Joint Circular No. 2015-01.
They also noted that the OVP did not submit a revised accomplishment report to the Office of the President, Senate President, and House Speaker.
“On the budget for 2024, ‘yung Vice President na rin ang nagsabi na slow and low utilization. Pero syempre comment ko lang no, mas mabilis siya sa confidential funds. 100% in 11 days,” Castro said.
“Madam Chair, since you allowed her a snide comment, you will allow me a snide comment as well,” Duterte replied.
“Point of order madam chair. Kasi parang siya ang nagpe-preside eh,” Castro said.
Duterte later took a swipe at Castro, bringing up a child abuse case the Representative is facing: “Ganoon talaga ang buhay ma’am. I do not understand bakit a person convicted of child abuse is still sitting in a seat."
Kabataan Party List Rep. Raoul Manuel also stressed that they should stick with the topic, instead of “diverting” the discussion to avoid
“Kapag may mga deliberasyon tayo we should stick to the topic, hindi pwede madam chair na dina-divert natin ‘yung usapan para hindi natin sagutin ‘yung mga tanong ng mga mambabatas natin,” Manuel said.
“This is a hearing on the budget for 2025. Nasaan dito ang confidential funds?” Duterte said.
Castro maintained that the discussion is still deemed valid as this will show how the budget would be spent under the OVP.
Gloria Arroyo backs Duterte
Pampanga 2nd district rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo came to Duterte’s response, saying that the OVP’s expenses were discussed at length last year.
“In the beginning, it was settled that the issue was the 2025 budget...What is being questioned now is the 2023 budget, which was discussed very extensively last year. And that is the reason why the House removed the confidential funds. So, that issue has already been, to my mind, for purposes of the budget hearing, laid to rest,” Arroyo said.
However, Quimbo retorted: “We note that. But of course we know that ‘yung pondo ng 2023 ay pwede pa ring maging continuing appropriation hanggang 2024. In the same way 2022 pwedeng maging continuing pa rin ng 2022,” she said. “It’s a big amount of money. I believe we owe it to the people to understand what happened.”
Duterte’s attempt to remove Quimbo during hearing
After the refusal to answer questions and a series of tirades exchanged with Castro and other members of the House, Duterte requested the chairperson of the finance committee to preside over the hearing.
"With all due respect, you are not allowed to do that, madam vice president. You are not allowed to introduce a motion. You are a resource person," Quimbo said. Duterte said she did not make a motion but that she "requested."
"Just please answer the question. The issue of confidential funds falls squarely within our discussion of the 2025 budget. It’s a very simple question," Quimbo added.
Castro got back to the floor and brought back the issue of the confidential funds, comparing Duterte's refusal to explain a “squid tactic.”
“Hindi pwede na ‘yung tactics na ganyan,” she said. “‘Pag nasusukol na ang pusit ay [naglalabas] ng maitim na tinta. Ayaw natin ng ganoon Madam Chair. Ang pinag-uusapan dito ay budget. ‘Wag naman mag-ugaling pusit ang Office of the Vice President,” Castro said.
Duterte went on to try to interrupt Quimbo from calling the next interpellator, to which the latter replied, “Hindi na po tayo matatapos.”
“‘Yan ang sinabi ko sa’yo kanina. Ayaw mong maniwala sa akin eh. Aabot talaga tayo ng bukas dito,” Duterte said.
“May I remind also our resource person to please act in a respectful manner. Pasensya na po, hindi kasama sa poder ninyo ang pagfa-fire ng presiding officer ng hearing na ito,” Quimbo replied.
Duterte continued: “If you allow members of the House of Representatives lines like what you just said, like pusit, bakit mo ako kinu-crucify for saying a fact that somebody is convicted of child abuse. Bakit napaka-one sided ninyo, ma’am? Dahil ba marami kayo diyan sa kabila at nagiisa ako rito?”
The hearing ended with the House deferring deliberations on the OVP's 2025 budget proposal. It will be discussed again on September 10.
Under the OVP's proposed budget for next year, P1.269 billion, or 62% of its total budget was allocated for socio-economic programs of the OVP. The highest was allotted for medical assistance at P600 million, followed by burial assistance at P171 million, disaster operation at P101 million, giving of food bags at P50 million, and educational assistance at P26 million, among others.
