VERBAL SPARRING After ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro (left) accused Vice President Sara Duterte of using squid tactics to muddle public perception about her use of public funds in Tuesday’s budget hearing, the latter asked what a “convicted child abuser” was doing in Congress, referring to the former’s conviction on child abuse charges last month. —Screengrab from House of Representatives video
MANILA, Philippines — Despite several lawmakers deeming Vice President Sara Duterte’s answers to the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations as evasive, a lawmaker believes citing her for contempt is out of the picture.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong in an ambush interview on Tuesday was asked if citing Duterte for contempt is an option being explored—given that the Vice President used similar phrases to answer questions on the Office of the Vice President (OVP) proposed budget for 2025.
READ: OVP budget deferred after Duterte evades questions at House hearing
Duterte replied to lawmakers by saying that she either forgoes the opportunity to defend the budget in a question-and-answer format, or by insisting that they have already coordinated with the Commission on Audit regarding a notice of disallowance.
“No,” Adiong said if Duterte will be reprimanded in the next hearing. “Well in the first place, it’s a pre-briefing. It’s a pre-briefing deliberation, so it’s not really an investigation.
READ: Duterte refuses to answer OVP budget questions, sparks House tension
“The citing of contempt against any particular guest or sponsor is not even an issue to discuss. Kasi it’s a pre-budget briefing, it’s not an inquiry,” he added.
Tensions flared during the hearing as lawmakers called out Duterte’s insistence on not directly answering questions, particularly about confidential fund usage in the past fiscal years. This behavior from the Vice President led to ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro to compare her to a squid, which releases ink whenever under pressure.
Exercise decorum
Duterte also had to be reminded several times to exercise decorum, with appropriations senior vice chairperson and Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo calling out the Vice President for talking before she was even recognized.
READ: VP Duterte wants Quimbo replaced as OVP budget hearing presider
At one point in the hearing, Duterte also asked the committee chair—Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co—to supervise over the hearing instead of Quimbo.
In other hearings of the House, particularly during investigations in aid of legislation, different personalities were cited for contempt for being evasive in their answers.
READ: Squid tactics? Castro scores VP Sara for deflecting secret fund issue
Last December 2023, when the House committee on legislative franchise was investigating fake claims aired through television station Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) about Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez spending P1.8 billion for foreign trips, host Lorraine Badoy was cited for contempt for giving confusing statements regarding her role.
Badoy, host of program Laban Kasama ng Bayan, initially stated that she was a block-timer before admitting that she was a co-producer of the program—and therefore, an SMNI employee.
More recently, eight police officers from Quezon province were cited for contempt by the House committee on public order and safety as they refused to answer questions regarding an alleged illegal raid conducted against a resource person.
Duterte, for her part, said that she gave these answers because questions about past year’s budget utilization should not be entertained because the appropriations panel hearing is for the OVP’s proposed budget for 2025.
Earlier, Adiong admitted that it will be a difficult task to defend the allocations if Duterte’s answers remain the same.
Adiong—who was assigned to defend the OVP budget at the plenary— aid Duterte avoided almost all of the questions raised by lawmakers in the grueling five and a half hour briefing
OVP was directed by the House panel to come back by September 10, after a motion to defer the budget deliberations was approved on the grounds of Duterte’s allegedly evasive answers.