Vice Pres. Sara Duterte Snubs House Hearing Again
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President was no show again at the House of Representatives budget deliberation of the 2025 budget proposal of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
The previous deliberations of the 2025 proposed budget of the OVP included heated conversations between Vice Pres. Duterte and the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives. There was also an instance of the Vice President snubbing the House deliberation.
At the Senate deliberation of the 2025 budget proposal, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte and Senator Risa Hontiveros had a spar. It was after the lawmaker expressed her intent to make a motion on the re-allocation of the OVP budget for its assistance programs to the relevant agencies.
Hontiveros also asked about the P10 million budget allotted for the distribution of Sara Duterte’s book Isang Kaibigan. It earned a lot of criticisms from the public and the OVP defended the book citing that it bears a good purpose of encouraging the Filipino children to read.
At the House hearing, Duterte also had a spar with some of the House members for her behavior when being asked. The heated exchange between her and ACT Teachers party-list representative France Castro led to the postponement of the budget deliberation.
However, at the resumption of the House deliberation of the 2025 budget proposal of the OVP, Sara Duterte was no show. In a letter, she stressed that she has given her position on the issues surrounding the proposed budget of her office. The OVP is asking for a P2 billion budget for next year.
Vice Pres. Duterte previously attended a House hearing on the OVP budget use but she refused to take an oath and she also left the hearing early. She accused the House that was transpired was allegedly not a heating to check the misuse funds or for accountability but to damage her image for election purposes.
Recently, another hearing on the 2025 budget proposal of the OVP was set. However, based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte was again no show at the inquiry set by the lower chamber. According to House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, Duterte’s office sent a representative but the person has no written authorization.
The other OVP officials also snubbed the House plenary deliberation. Based on the report, following the absence of Duterte and the OVP officials, a motion was filed to include the budget deliberation in today’s calendar of activities.
“Parang ang gustong iparamdam sa mga Pilipno ay bahala na kayo kung ibibigay niyo o hindi ang hinihingi ko. Pero pag ayaw niyong ibigay, masama kayo,” Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel said on the action of the Vice President.
Manuel also cited the action of Vice Pres. Duterte allegedly as betrayal of public trust. In her previous absence, Castro tagged Duterte as “bratinella to the max”.
“This is a clear betrayal of public trust as every elected official is accountable to the electorate,” Raoul said.