Hontiveros mulls realigning VP Sara’s P10M budget for children’s book

Manila Bulletin

A day after she figured in a heated verbal exchange with Vice President Sara Duterte, Senate Deputy Minority Leader Sen. Risa Hontiveros disclosed plans to realign the proposed P10-million budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for the distribution of her children’s book “Isang Kaibigan.”  READ: https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/21/hontiveros-mulls-realigning-vp-sara-s-p10-m-budget-for-children-s-book  Subscribe to the Manila Bulletin Online channel! - https://www.youtube.com/TheManilaBulletin  Visit our website at http://mb.com.ph Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manilabulletin  Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/manila_bulletin Instagram: https://instagram.com/manilabulletin Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@manilabulletin  #ManilaBulletinOnline #ManilaBulletin #LatestNews

Transcript

00:00I first asked about the duplication of appropriations for programs that his office wants to do.

00:12But it's like duplicating the current programs of the departments.

00:20And by the way, this is not the first time that I raised this issue.

00:24So, I can't say that this is the first time.

00:27I also raised this issue before in the NTF-LCAC,

00:30that there are departments that are doing programs in partnership with LGUs,

00:37so why don't we just put them in the departments?

00:40Same principle here in the OVP.

00:43At least, in the beginning, his answer was that he would bow to the wisdom of the Congress,

00:51even though he has a stake in a political department.

00:58My second question is that he is no longer bowing to the wisdom of the Senate.

01:04And what I asked is also very fair,

01:07because his office has a program worth P100 million

01:13about collecting P1 million bags for children in hard-to-reach communities

01:21and including tree planting.

01:23And what I asked is the P10 million item within that P100 million program budget

01:30that will distribute a book that he wrote,

01:35but will use the government funds, the taxpayers' money, to collect.

01:41So, it's very fair and I think it should have been asked,

01:46but that was his answer.

01:49Well, first of all, and I said this to Chair Grace,

01:52at the proper time, I will propose an amendment

01:55that the items for the duplicating programs of his office

02:02will be realigned, if possible, to the departments that have such programs.

02:11Or at the very least, within OVP, but earmarked,

02:16that the OVP will request the department that has such programs

02:23to authorize the use of such programs of that department.

02:29Our fiscal space is already tight,

02:32and the money of our departments is always lacking,

02:36especially in such social protection programs.

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