Sara, Risa trade barbs over P10 million children’s books

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte had a heated exchange with Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros yesterday during the Senate finance committee’s public hearing on the P2.037-billion budget requested by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for 2025.

During the hearing of the panel chaired by Sen. Grace Poe, Hontiveros asked Duterte about the P10-million allocation for a book titled “Isang Kaibigan” and bearing Duterte’s name, to be distributed by the OVP for children in public schools.

“Can you tell me about this book? Hontiveros asked.

Instead of detailing the content of the book, Duterte said the senator’s questions were just another type of politicking over the OVP’s funds.

Duterte then recalled Hontiveros’ pronouncement at the Akbayan Congress that her father former president Rodrigo Duterte made a lot of mess that was difficult to clean up.

Reading from her mobile phone, the Vice President quoted Hontiveros as saying, “The darkness during his time has really eaten away at our society to the point that it is very difficult to remove it and while his daughter still has power, our fight will not be easy. While VP Sara is in power, the threat of a full-blown Duterte comeback is still a very real and present danger.”

Hontiveros retorted that Duterte’s statement had nothing to do with the committee discussing the P2.037-billion fund proposal of the OVP for next year.

“So I really take exception to what the Vice President said, that that is a rebuttal because it is an example of politicizing... I am asking about the country’s national budget that we will pass to Congress in 2025,” Hontiveros said.

“My only question was how many books will be bought and distributed and … if the Vice President could tell us more about the contents of this book,” she added.

Duterte insisted that the book is not “for sale.”

“We will send Senator Hontiveros a copy so that she will know what the content of the book is,” she added.

The Vice President reiterated that the question was another form of politicking in the middle of the budget hearing of the OVP.

“(Hontiveros’) problem is that my name is written there in the book, and we will give that book to the children and those children have parents who will vote and my name is scattered there wherever the book is given. Madam Chair, we commit to send everyone in this room a copy of the book,” she said.

Hontiveros insisted: “Madam chair, I don’t understand the behavior of our resource person. It is a simple question. Again and again, this is politicizing. It was the Vice President who mentioned the word vote. I did not say vote. I was simply asking.”

“I don’t appreciate this kind of attitude Madam chair; usually, our resource persons give the same institutional courtesy to the legislature that we give to the executive. I don’t appreciate this kind of attitude,” she added.

Duterte shot back and said that she also could not understand Hontiveros’ behavior.

The Vice President even mentioned the time when the senator asked for her help when the latter ran for the post for the third time.

The situation only calmed down when Poe intervened and asked Duterte to give a general description of the book.

“Madam chair, the explanation is in the title ‘Isang Kaibigan’ – it’s about friendship,” the Vice President said.

Sara: I won’t run for president

Duterte said she has no plans of running for the presidency in 2028 as she lamented efforts to project the Dutertes to be corrupt, criminals and useless people who only do things for themselves.

Duterte made the pronouncement yesterday as she confirmed efforts, which she claimed emanated from the House of Representatives, to impeach her in preparation for the 2028 presidential election.

“I have no such plans,” Duterte told Senate reporters when asked if she intended to run for the highest elective post in the country.

Without naming names, the Vice President said detractors want to project the Duterte family as corrupt, criminals and useless people who only think about their own interests.

“We are a threat to the perpetuation of power of people interested in becoming prime minister if the efforts to push for Charter change succeeds,” she added.

Duterte initially said it would be difficult to answer about her political plans come 2028.

“It’s hard to answer 2028. Imagine me coming down here, then I fall down the stairs. If I die tomorrow, my preparation will go to waste because 2028 is far away, I should plan in 2027 and the fourth quarter of 2026,” she said.

Duterte also recalled that she was not really interested in seeking a national position, but siblings President Marcos and Sen. Imee Marcos convinced her to join their party to ensure victory.

The Vice President said all she wanted was to complete her three consecutive three-year terms as mayor of Davao City.

Asked whether she regretted joining the Marcoses, Duterte took a deep breath, but did not give a categorical answer.

She noted that she ran to ensure the continuity of big-ticket development programs of her father, but lamented that these programs appear to have been discontinued.

‘Not a loss for me’

As for the impeachment complaint being prepared against her in the House, Duterte said, “It’s not a loss for me.”

In the same interview with Senate reporters, she admitted that some House members openly discussed the impeachment against her.

“They talk about it even if they deny it. House members talk about it because we still have friends inside who don’t talk because they are afraid. They say the impeachment was openly discussed,” Duterte said.

“If they impeach me, it’s not a loss for me. I just ran because development projects in Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon had to be continued, and I thought that if I was the Vice President, I could focus on the projects,” she added.

Asked how the alleged impeachment progresses, the Vice President said she is not aware.

“I don’t know about them; we are just waiting for what they will do, because that is what they are expected to do – they want to bring down the Duterte family … not only politically, but also personally because they included my husband in their harassment,” she explained.

“Just an example of the playbook on PRRD (the former president’s acronym), there is a quad committee in the House of Representatives that investigates alleged drug smuggling, an (International Criminal Court) complaint against him, then there are plunder cases… As far as I’m concerned, they are chasing after the confidential fund. In fact, I said good, so that there will be no more trouble, we shoot blinds on projects. I will not use confidential funds anymore. It’s still possible, but it’s more difficult because you can’t purchase info, can’t give rewards, you can’t find your target in security issues and peace and order,” she added.

Asked how her family protects themselves, Duterte said they just hire lawyers to handle their cases.

‘No impeach move’

Meanwhile, ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo yesterday denied that an impeachment complaint against the Vice President is on the table of the lower chamber.

“Personally, I do not know if there is such a thing, a plan of impeachment against the Vice President… The Office of the Speaker had already been saying there is none,” Tulfo said at a press briefing. —Sheila Crisostomo