Vice President Sara Duterte pays her respects to former President and current Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo moments before the deliberation on the proposed 2025 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) starts on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. The House of Representatives committee on appropriations decided to continue its scrutiny of the OVP’s 2025 budget. (Gabriel P. Lalu/ INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday asked Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo to be replaced as the presider of the House committee on appropriations’ hearing on the proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for 2025.
Duterte’s request came after Quimbo maintained that ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro had the right to question Duterte on the use of the OVP’s confidential funds for 2022 and 2023.
Duterte insisted that Castro’s questions were no longer related to the discussions because the hearing should be focused on the proposed 2025 national budget.
“Nasaan ang topic natin dito? At ang pina-submit ninyo sa amin is the budget proposal [for] 2025. Where in the budget proposal [for] 2025 is the item confidential funds? In aid of legislation nga ninyo nakalagay nga doon sa rules ninyo ‘di ba? Discussions should be germane to the topic. The topic is the 2025 budget proposal, so tell me, where is that?” Duterte asked.
(What is our topic here? You asked us to submit a budget proposal for 2025. Where in the budget proposal for 2025 is the item confidential funds? In your investigations in aid of legislation, it is stated in your rules that discussions should be germane to the topic. The topic is the 2025 budget proposal, so tell me, where is that?)
Quimbo told Duterte that Castro already explained why she had to ask about the confidential funds for 2022 and 2023.
“Madam Vice President, the honorable France Castro has already provided a sufficient explanation as to why she asked the question, so please proceed with your answer,” Quimbo said.
“Madam Chair, why are we discussing the budget [for] 2023 and 2024?” Duterte asked.
When Castro manifested that she would just proceed with her questions, Duterte asked that the chairperson of the committee, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, who was seated near Quimbo, to preside over the hearing.
“I request that the chairperson of the finance committee preside over this hearing,” Duterte said.
“Madam Vice President, with due respect, you have, you are not allowed to do that … You are not allowed to introduce any motion, you are a resource person,” Quimbo replied.
“I did not move Ma’am, I requested as your resource person. I requested,” Duterte clarified.
“The same being, so your request was denied. So please answer the question, the issue on confidential funds falls squarely in our discussion of your 2025 budget,” Quimbo fired back.
When Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab manifested that Duterte should not be made to answer questions that are not related to the 2025 budget deliberations, Quimbo said that it has been established that past budgets are related to the proposed allocation for 2025.
According to Quimbo, Duterte can answer the questions by saying that she does not want to answer these.
“The only requirement is to provide a direct response to the question, meaning to say, a response that is directly related to the question. Meaning to say, if there is a question and you do not want to answer, just directly say that you would not answer the question,” Quimbo said.
“I think it’s a reasonable task, you may or you may not answer, you’re not compelled. But you just please say I do not wish to answer, that’s it. At least we know that’s a direct response,” she added.
When Duterte asked to be recognized to speak again, Quimbo said that too many manifestations would result in the hearing taking forever — something which Duterte said she warned Quimbo about.
“‘Yan ang sinabi ko sa’yo kanina, ayaw mong maniwala sa akin. Aabot talaga tayo ng bukas dito, ‘di ba? Madam Chair?” Duterte said.
(That’s what I told you a while ago, you did not want to believe me. We would last until tomorrow here.)
This remark from Duterte led Quimbo to remind the Vice President again to act in a respectful manner.
“May I remind also our resource persons to please act in a respectful manner. Pasensya na po, hindi po kasama sa power ninyo ang pag-fire ng presiding officer ng hearing na ito,” Quimbo countered.
(May I remind also our resource persons to please act in a respectful manner. My apologies, but it is not within your power to fire the presiding officer of this hearing.)
Prior to this exchange, tensions at the hearing were already high because Duterte refused to answer several questions, especially those about the OVP’s confidential funds in the past budgets.
“Madam Chair, my answer for every question will be I will forego the opportunity to defend the Office of the Vice President through a question-and-answer, and I will leave it to the House to decide on the budget submitted, so magsasayang tayo ng oras dito kung paulit-ulit ‘yong sagot,” Duterte told Quimbo.
READ: Panel to COA: Submit audit reports on OVP, DepEd, including secret funds
The OVP is not getting any CF for 2025 as the Department of Budget and Management decided to adopt Congress’ policy that civilian agencies with no surveillance mandate are no longer given CF allocations.
In 2023, the CF of the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd), which was then under Duterte, went through scrutiny after it was revealed that the OVP had a P125-million CF for 2022 even if the original budget did not have these items.
As a result, the House removed the P500-million CF request of the OVP and realigned it to agencies securing the West Philippine Sea.
Meanwhile, the P150-million CF request of the DepEd was converted into an item under maintenance and other operating expenses.
READ: How House removed, reduced the confidential funds of gov’t agencies