Repetitive VP responses in budget hearing an insult — lawmaker

Metro Manila, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s “templated response” and even refusal to answer some questions in the deliberations for her office’s 2025 proposed budget was a show of “arrogance, insult, disrespect,” a veteran lawmaker said.

The hearing of the appropriations committee at the House of Representatives was a stretch on Tuesday, Aug. 28, as some lawmakers pressed for details from Duterte about her previous confidential fund expense.

In an interview with NewsWatch Plus on Wednesday, Aug. 28, Manila 6th District Rep. Benny Abante said Duterte should have answered directly.

“She always said the same answer all throughout. She's not answering us directly. And to us, that is arrogance, insult, that is disrespect,” Abante said

Duterte repeatedly said she would like to “forgo the opportunity to defend the budget in a question-and-answer format.”

She also made this response to Abante when he asked if the vice president believes the House has the right to scrutinize the budget of any government agency. This got Abante’s ire.

“Why is it madam vice president that it’s hard for you to answer yes, when you know the answer should be yes,” Abante said.

Another templated answer of Duterte was that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) already submitted responses to the Commission on Audit (COA) regarding the confidential funds.

The budget hearing revealed that COA issued a notice of disallowance for the ₱73 million in confidential funds disbursed by the OVP in 2022.

READ: COA disallows over P73 million in OVP 2022 confidential funds

“Ano ba tinatago niya? Bakit siya umiiwas? Bakit niya palagi nire-refer sa COA?” Abante told NewsWatch Plus, adding it was valid to raise questions on the 2022 expense.

[Translation: What is she hiding? Why is she dodging questions? Why is she always referring to COA?]

“I mean, siya ang may hawak ng pondo, siya ang gumastos ng pondo, explain niya sa amin kung paano niya ginastos ang pondo, gano’n ka-simple ‘yon,” he said.

[Translation: She held the budget, she spent it, then she should explain to us how she spent the funds. It’s that simple.]

Deliberations on the OVP budget in recent history — even with estranged political ties between administration allies and the vice president — have been generally smooth out of courtesy for a co-equal branch.

The OVP’s spending plan under Duterte also breezed through the House committee in the 2023 and 2024 budget cycles. What changed?

“Hindi kami nagbago,” Abante said. “Ako hindi ako nagbago. Siya nagbago. Bakit for hours upon hours of briefing, pare-pareho ang sagot niya? She was the one who changed. We did not.”

[Translation: We did not change. I did not change. Duterte changed. Why, for hours upon hours of briefing, did she stick to one answer. She was the one who changed. We did not.]

Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo, who presided over the budget briefing, said it was important to hear Duterte’s inputs on the budget bill.

The panel approved the motion of Zambales 1st District Rep. Jeff Khonghun to defer the budget hearing. It was rescheduled for Sept. 10.