No ‘friend’: Hontiveros query on OVP book irks VP Duterte

HARDLY ON SAME PAGE Questions regarding a storybook written by Vice President Sara Duterte lead to a verbal tussle between her and Sen. Risa Hontiveros during Tuesday’s budget hearing. Things got testy after Duterte refused to directly answer why P10 million must be spent to distribute “Isang Kaibigan (A Friend),” its cover and author’s page shown in the insets. —Senate Social Media Unit/contributed photos

MANILA, Philippines — A P10-million allocation for the publication of a children’s book written by Vice President Sara Duterte triggered a testy exchange between her and Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who questioned the propriety of the item tucked in the proposed 2025 budget of the country’s second highest official.

At a Senate budget hearing on Tuesday, Duterte was defending the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed P2.037-billion outlay when Hontiveros called her attention to an item under the office’s P100-million “Pagbabago Campaign, A Million Learners and Trees” program.

The senator noted that an allotment of P10 million had been earmarked for the publication of Duterte’s book titled “Isang Kaibigan (A Friend).”

‘Politicizing budget’

Launched in November last year, the book tells the story of an unlikely friendship between an owl and a parrot. On the back page is a short profile of Duterte, describing her current and former roles in government and calling her a “true friend.”

“May the vice president tell us something more about this book?” Hontiveros asked in Filipino.

But the senator’s query piqued Duterte, who then accused Hontiveros of “politicizing” the OVP’s budget request.

Without answering the question, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte quoted excerpts from a recent speech supposedly delivered by Hontiveros, in which the latter claimed that Duterte and her father were being “backed by the superpower China.”

“This is an example of politicizing the budget hearing through the questions of the senator,” an irate Duterte said.

“The book is not for sale,” she stressed. “We only pay for the publication of the book. And we will send Senator Hontiveros a copy so that she will know what is the content of the book.”

“Her problem is that my name is on that book and that book will be distributed to children whose parents are voters. And my name will be in those places where this book will be distributed,” she added.

The vice president’s response did not sit well with Hontiveros, who reminded her that it was the job of lawmakers to scrutinize the budget proposals of state agencies.

“I don’t understand the attitude of our resource person. It is just a simple question. But she has repeatedly said that this is ‘politicizing,’” Hontiveros said in Filipino.

“I did not say anything about ‘voters.’ I’m simply asking. I don’t [understand] why we’re making so much trouble, so much fuss about a P10-million item that I was just inquiring about,” she said.

“I don’t appreciate this kind of attitude. Usually, our resource persons extend institutional courtesy to the legislature, which we also give to the executive [branch].”

An agitated Duterte replied: “I likewise don’t understand the attitude of Sen. Risa Hontiveros. What is she saying?”

She then claimed that Hontiveros had sought her assistance when the latter ran as senator for the third time in 2016, after losing in the two previous senatorial races.

“My question has nothing to do with what the vice president just said… So I really take exception to what the vice president claimed was ‘politicizing,’” Hontiveros retorted.

“I am just asking about the national budget that the Congress will pass for the country in 2025,” she said.

Hontiveros also questioned the propriety of the OVP’s request to set aside more than P1.9 billion for financial aid and other social services that were already being provided by the social welfare and health departments.

Facing the Senate panel chaired by Sen. Grace Poe, the vice president said the OVP’s spending program for next year was slightly higher than the P1.885 billion that it received in 2024.

No confidential funds

Unlike its budget proposal last year, Duterte’s office did not ask for confidential funds following controversies over the OVP receiving the hard-to-audit appropriations in 2022 and 2023.

The Department of Education, which Duterte headed concurrently until leaving her post in July amid a political feud between her family and that of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., also received confidential funds under her leadership, but will not do so next year.

Poe, who will be defending the OVP’s spending plan during plenary deliberations, stepped in to defuse the tension between Duterte and Hontiveros.

“I understand that there’s history among all of us here. But I think that we should really stick to the budget,” said Poe, who lost to Duterte’s father during the 2016 presidential elections.

Turning to the vice president, she said: “And I think this is just being very objective. Maybe, just a general [description]. What is the book about? Is it for good manners and right conduct? That’s fine.”

Duterte said the book was actually about friendship. “The explanation is in the title,” she added.

“If only she answered that way [we will not have this argument],” Hontiveros said.

“For the record, this [involves] public funds. And we’re making inquiries about them. This is a budget hearing. Not everything is about you,” the senator said, addressing Duterte.

House showdown

Speaking with reporters after the hearing, Duterte said she just wanted to point out Hontiveros’ bias against her.

She said she was looking forward to defending the OVP’s budget at the House of Representatives, where many of the president’s allies were rumored to be planning her impeachment.

“If they unseat or impeach me, the position of vice president is not a loss for me,” Duterte said.

“We are just waiting for what they will do next because they really want to take out the Duterte family from politics… They even dragged my husband’s name in drug smuggling,” she said, referring to accusations made against her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, and her brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, during the House quad committee hearings.

Asked if she regretted forming “UniTeam” with Marcos for the 2022 elections, Duterte paused before saying: “Do I need to answer that question?”

“If I did not run for vice president, they would have gone after me as a mayor,” she said.

—WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH