VP Sara denies plagiarizing book, says next story about 'betrayal'

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte has denied allegations that her self-authored children's book "Isang Kaibigan (A Friend)" was plagiarized.

In a statement sent late Wednesday, the vice president also announced that she plans to write a sequel, this time about a "friend's betrayal."

“Napakadaling sumulat ng maikling kwento batay sa sariling karanasan, hindi na kailangang mangopya pa,” Duterte said.

 (It’s easy to write a short story based on personal experience, there’s no need to copy)

The vice president also explained that the P10-million book project aims to encourage children to read and write their own stories.

"Hindi ang libro ang problema ng bayan kundi ang kahinaan sa pagbabasa ng ating kabataan,” Duterte said.

(The book is not the problem but the weak reading comprehension of our youth.)

This comes after writer Ninotchka Rosca and other social media users posted side-by-side pictures of Duterte's illustrated book and the cover of the children's book "Owly: Just a Little Blue" authored by Andy Runton.

Some posts circulating online have drawn comparisons between the owl illustration in Duterte's book and the owl character in Runton's story. Others have pointed out that both stories' plots involve birds living in or fixing a damaged tree.

Michael Poa, spokesperson of the Office of the Vice President, has also dismissed the allegations of plagiarism. He said Duterte's book has a copyright registration and has been registered since December 2023.

The proposed OVP budget for 2025 includes a P10 million allocation for the printing of Duterte's self-authored children's book, up to 200,000 copies of which will be distributed to children in remote areas.

The proposed budget for the printing of the book is lodged into the OVP's proposed P100-million "A Million Learners and Trees" campaign, which involves the distribution of bags to a million students in remote areas and the conduct of tree planting activities.

During the Senate's deliberations of the OVP's requested P2.037-billion budget on Tuesday, Duterte and Hontiveros traded barbs after the latter sought to clarify what the vice president's book was about. 

The vice president accused the senator of politicizing the budget — an accusation Hontiveros took exception with as she said it was senators' jobs to scrutinize the government's spending plan.

After receiving a copy of the book on Wednesday, Hontiveros said she plans to realign the P10 million allocation of the book to other items as it is an "improper request."

'Betrayal'

Duterte also said in her statement that the public should watch out for her next book. "Abangan ninyo ang susunod kong isusulat na libro tungkol sa pagtataksil ng isang kaibigan (Watch out for the next book I'll write about the betrayal of a friend)," she said.

Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers), House deputy minority leader, expressed concern over Duterte's spending priorities. "Ano iyon sa pondo ng mamamayan din nya gustong kunin? (Will she also want to fund that using the people's money?)," she said in a statement on Wednesday.

Castro believes the P10 million allocation should go toward other items instead of printing Duterte's book, which she called an attempt at self-promotion.

"It seems that VP Duterte has a penchant for doing things that are not her mandate like the P125 million confidential funds that she spent in 11 days in 2022, or writing books using public funds," Castro said.

Indie Publishers Collab Philippines, a group of independent publishers, said in a statement on Wednesday that Duterte’s self-authored book for children comes off as a “privilege” given the limited opportunities for children’s writers to be read on a national scale. 

“Here we are, burning our brows to come up with exceptional books with a diversity of stories and topics that reflect the Filipino experience and culture, but we only have resources to print and distribute 20 to 300 copies at a time as we rely on our very shallow pockets,” the group said.

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