At OVP budget hearing, Hontiveros reminds Sara: ‘Not everything’s about you’

Senator Risa Hontiveros only wanted an answer to her simple question: What is the children’s book that was allocated P10 million under the proposed 2025 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) about?

But instead of getting a direct answer, Vice President Sara Duterte accused her of politcizing the budget hearing.

“Madam Chair, this is an example of politicizing the budget hearing through the questions of a senator. Ang problema niya kasi, nakalagay ‘yung pangalan ko doon sa libro. At ‘yung libro na ‘yan, ibibigay namin doon sa mga bata na may mga magulang na boboto,” Duterte said.

(Madam Chair, this is an example of politicizing the budget hearing through the questions of a senator. Her problem is that my name is on the book. And that book is going to be given to the children whose parents will vote.)

Mind you, Hontiveros seemed to not really know anything about it. The senator’s limited knowledge about the book was that it is supposed to be part of the OVP’s “PagbaBAGo Campaign” that involves the distribution of one million bags containing the book itself.

The Vice President herself wrote Isang Kaibigan (A Friend) that tells the story of an owl that lost his bird friends when a storm damaged his home. Amid his despair, a friendly parrot offered to help the owl rebuild his nest, proving that true friends never leave in times of need. 

“Hindi ko maintindihan ‘yung ugali ng ating resource person. Paulit-ulit na this is politicizing. Ang VP ang nagbanggit ng salitang boboto. Wala akong sinabing boboto. (I don’t understand the behavior of our resource person. She repeatedly says this is politicizing the issue. It was the VP who mentioned the word ‘voting.’ I never said anything about voting.) We’re making so much trouble, so much fuss about a P10-million item that I’m asking. What is the book about?” Hontiveros said.

Their heated exchange didn’t stop there. Duterte brought up her supposed conversation with Hontiveros in 2016 when the latter was seeking for support to get votes in Mindanao.

The Vice President said that although her father and Hontiveros were not from the same political party, she helped her in her senatorial candidacy in 2016.

“Ayaw pa siya tulungan ni former [Davao City 2nd District] congressman Milen Garcia. Pinakiusapan ko ulit, Cong, please tulungan mo na lang. Nanalo na siya at nung nanalo siya, anong ginawa niya? Siya ang pinakaunang umatake kay President Rodrigo Duterte. Ano’ng tawag sa ugaling ganito?” Duterte rhetorically asked.

(Former congressman Milen Garcia refused to help her. I asked him again, “Congressman, please just help.” She won the election, and what did she do after that? She was the first to attack President Rodrigo Duterte. What do you call this kind of behavior?)

Senator Grace Poe, who chairs the Senate committee on finance, intervened in the heated exchange between the two, and directed the question at Duterte.

“I understand there’s history among all of us here. But I think that we should really stick to the budget. And I think this is just being very objective…. But maybe, just a general, we won’t ask line by line, what is that book all about? Is it for good manners and right conduct, that’s fine. Is it science? Is it history?” Poe asked, and got a direct answer.

“Madam Chair, the explanation is in the title. Isang Kaibigan. It’s about friendship,” Duterte responded.

Redundant OVP programs

A bit of a rewind of events leading to their clash in the hearing, Hontiveros was the only senator who quizzed Duterte about her budget request of P2.037 billion for 2025, which is an 8.05% increase from the current appropriation of P1.885 billion.

The senator flagged the OVP programs as being “parallel” to the existing projects and functions of other government agencies. Some of these are burial and medical assistance, livelihood projects, and healthcare projects, which have been the programs ever since of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment, and the Department of Health.

“Iko-consider ba ng VP na i-lodge na lang ‘yung mga budgets nitong mga programa doon na lang sa mga line agencies natin? Tapos, mag-request na lang ang OVP ng allocation para in sync sa priorities ng executive department sa halip na magkaroon pa ng hiwalay pero magkatulad naman na programa,” Hontiveros said.

(Will the VP consider lodging the budgets for these programs under our line agencies instead? Then the OVP could request allocations to align with the priorities of the executive department, rather than having separate but similar programs.)

Duterte said that the OVP has its own programs because she claimed that government programs — especially social services — are being politicized.

“Kapag meron po binibigyan [kami] ng endorsement ng AICS [Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations] sa DSWD, kadalasan po na sagot sa amin ay hindi puwede dahil galing ‘yan sa Office of the Vice President at kalaban ‘yan. Totoo ‘yan na pinupulitika ang assistance para sa ating mga kababayan,” Duterte said.

(Whenever we give endorsements for AICS to the DSWD, we are often told that we’re not allowed because they come from the Office of the Vice President, and they are considered opponents. It’s true that assistance for our fellow citizens is being politicized.)

The Vice President was referring to the AICS of the DSWD that provides medical assistance, burial, transportation, education, food, or financial assistance for other support services or needs of a person or family.

Several senators were also present during the budget deliberations, including the allies of the Duterte family, but they only gave their manifestations of support to the Vice President.

While Poe asked about the controversial security detail of the Vice President, it wasn’t too related to the budget since the OVP does not fund it.

While the OVP budget hearing lasted for more than an hour, it was only Hontiveros who was feisty enough to quiz Duterte about her budget request. (In the past two years, hearings were terminated within minutes because parliamentary courtesy was given to Duterte.)

“Budget hearing po ito. Hindi po lahat about you. Pera po ito ng taong bayan,” Hontiveros told Duterte, as she ended her interpellation. (This is a budget hearing. Not everything is about you. These are public funds.) – Rappler.com