'Politicizing the budget?': Hontiveros, VP Sara clash over children's book during hearing on OVP budget

Manila Bulletin

A book on friendship to be distributed under a 2025 project of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) sparked a hostile exchange between VP Sara Duterte and Senator Risa Hontiveros during the budget deliberations of a Senate finance subcommittee on Tuesday, Aug. 20.   READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/20/politicizing-the-budget-hontiveros-vp-sara-clash-over-children-s-book-during-hearing-on-ovp-budget-1

Transcript

00:00Yung huling tanong ko sa ngayon, Madam Chair, for 2025, one of the OVP's programs, Pagbabago

00:08Campaign, A Million Learners and Trees, involves the provision of bags to one million learners

00:15in remote communities while initiating tree planting activities.

00:20This gets an appropriation of 100 million pesos.

00:23Part of this campaign is an allocation of 10 million pesos for the distribution of isang

00:28kaibigan books, a children's book authored by the VP.

00:33Pwede po bang sabihin ni VP sa atin more tungkol sa librong ito?

00:51Madam Chair, let me make a rebuttal and another example of politicizing the budget of the

00:56government.

00:57Ito pong sinabi ni Sen. Riza Conteveros na at the proper time she'll make a motion to

01:03lodge the budget, the requested budget of the OVP to the other agencies.

01:09Let me just quote Sen. Riza during the ACT-BAYAN Congress.

01:14Alam ko po na ang daming kalat ni Duterte na hirap tayong linisin.

01:22Ang kadiliman noong panahon niya ay talaga namang nanuot sa ating lipunan, paraman sa

01:28na napakahirap tanggalin.

01:29At habang ang anak niya ay may kapangyarihan pa, hindi magiging madali ang ating laban.

01:35While VP Sara is in power, the threat of a full-blown Duterte comeback is still a very

01:42real and present danger.

01:45For one, they are supported by one major superpower, China.

01:50So that is an example of politicizing the budget of the government.

01:58May we request Madam Chair that Sen. Riza Conteveros repeat the last question.

02:05I will certainly, if you request Madam Chair, repeat my question dahil walang kinalaman sa

02:10kasasabi lang ng VP ngayon.

02:13Alam nating lahat na miyembro ng iba't-ibang partido, yung speeches natin sa ating mga

02:18kamiembreo sa mga party congresses ay hiwalay na event dito sa budget debates.

02:27So I really take exception dun sa sinabi ni VP na rebattle yan dahil halimbawa ito

02:33sa politicizing.

02:34In fact, wala akong tinanong tungkol sa China o kahit sino pang ibang bansa dito sa budget

02:39hearing na to.

02:40I am asking about yung national budget na ipapasa natin sa Kongreso para sa bansang Pilipinas

02:48sa taong 2025.

02:49At ang pangalawang at huling tanong ko sa ngayon, before I may at the proper time propose

02:56an amendment which may or may not be accepted by the Chair and by the colleagues para nga

03:02mas-ialign ang mga kaperahan natin lalo na masikip ang fiscal space natin dun sa mga appropriate

03:10programs sa appropriate agencies na malayang-malaya ang OVP makipag-partner sa kanila tulad ng

03:17sino pang opisina sa executive.

03:20Ang tanong ko po ay ilang mga libro ng isang kaibigan ay bibilihin at i-distribute, at

03:26ano, if the VP could tell us more about the contents ng librong ito?

03:31Madam Chair?

03:36Madam Chair, the book is not for sale.

03:40We only pay for the publication of the book and we will send Senator Antiveros a copy

03:46so that she will know what is the content of the book.

03:50Oh, this question is not only for me Madam Chair, para rin para sa mga kasama dito sa

03:55budget hearing.

03:56Baka ilang araw pa bago mapadala at mabasa ko which I certainly will.

04:03But I am asking a question bilang isang mambabatas sa head of agency ng isang opisina sa executive

04:11dito sa budget hearing na to.

04:13Simpleng tanong, tell us more about the book, isang kaibigan, at ilang kopya nito ang bibilihin

04:19ng gobyerno sa halagang P10M at i-distribute sa kasama ng mga bags sa 1M learners sa remote

04:29communities Madam Chair?

04:35Madam Chair, this is an example of politicizing the budget hearing through the questions of

04:44a Senator.

04:45Ang problema niya kasi nakalagay yung pangalan ko doon sa libro at yung libro na yan ibibigay

04:51namin doon sa mga bata at yung mga bata na yan may mga magulang na boboto at yung pangalan

04:58ko ay nagkalat doon sa kung saan man ibibigay yung libro.

05:06Madam Chair, we commit to send tomorrow everyone in this room a copy of the book.

05:37about a P10M item, na itinatanong ko lang simpleng what is the book about, at ilang kopya

05:44ang bibilihin ng gobyerno sa halagang P10M at i-distribute.

05:49I don't appreciate this kind of attitude Madam Chair.

05:54Usually ang resource persons natin ay nagbibigay ng parehong institutional courtesy sa legislature

06:01na ibinibigay natin sa executive.

06:03I don't appreciate this kind of attitude.

06:33I don't appreciate this kind of attitude Madam Chair.

07:03I don't appreciate this kind of attitude Madam Chair.

07:33I don't appreciate this kind of attitude Madam Chair.

08:03With due respect to our resource persons and also our colleagues, I think this doesn't

08:17really...

08:18I understand there's history among all of us here, but I think we should really stick

08:25to the budget.

08:26And I think this is just being very objective.

08:30I would like to ask also, since we're going to be furnished a copy tomorrow, we can look

08:36at it and evaluate what the content of the book is.

08:41But maybe just a general, we won't ask line by line, ano ba yung libro na yan?

08:47But tell me, is it for good manners and right conduct?

08:51That's fine.

08:52Is it science?

08:53Is it history?

08:54So maybe just a general one so we can just answer it.

08:57Because I understand that every office will have its own advocacy and initiative.

09:03But then, I don't think it's also wrong for us to be curious what it is about.

09:08So just a general one.

09:09Any of the undersecretaries can tell me what the topic of the book is?

09:15Is it history?

09:16Is it...

09:17What is it?

09:18Isang kaibigan.

09:19Madam Chair, the explanation is in the title, Isang Kaibigan.

09:25It's about friendship.

09:26Okay.

09:27And that's for the record.

09:28It's about friendship.

09:29Madam Chair, just a last point.

09:31Okay.

09:32So kung sana ganun yung naging sagot sa simula pa?

09:35Diba?

09:36Napaka simple.

09:37Simpleng tanong, dapat simpleng sagot.

09:39Nagkuwento pa ng kuwento na sinabi dati na walang kinalaman sa tanong ko.

09:46Just for the record, as a last point, Madam Chair, this is public funds.

09:52And we're making inquiries about them.

09:55Budget hearing po ito.

09:57Hindi po lahat about you, pero po ito ng Taong Bayan.

10:00For the record, Madam Chair.

10:01Okay, okay.

10:02I think that is not yet personal.

10:03Thank you, Madam Chair.

10:04Yes.

10:05But I understand the emotion is high.

10:06But let's continue on.

10:08If you have any more questions, Senator Riza, we will...

10:10Those are just my two questions, Madam Chair.

10:12Marami salamat po.

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