Quimbo calls out VP Sara for attempting to 'fire' her mid-hearing
MANILA, Philippines — No vice president in recent history has been granted the power to choose who presides over the questioning of their office's proposed budget in Congress mid-hearing. But today, Vice President Sara Duterte attempted to be the first.
Rep. Stella Quimbo (Marikina City), who led the House appropriations panel's deliberations of the Office of the Vice President's (OVP) proposed P2.037 billion budget for 2025, called out Duterte for demanding that she be replaced with another lawmaker as the presiding officer of the hearing.
This came after a visibly frustrated Duterte tried but failed to get Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers) to cease her questioning about the OVP's confidential and intelligence expenses in 2022, which she said was unrelated to her office's proposed 2025 budget.
"I request that the chairperson of the finance committee preside over this hearing," Duterte said, referring to the House appropriations committee, the lower chamber's committee tasked with studying the government budget.
The chairperson of the powerful House appropriations committee is Rep. Elizaldy Co. Meanwhile, Quimbo serves as the senior vice chairperson — the second highest position in the panel.
"With all due respect, you have... you are not allowed to do that, madam vice president. You are not allowed to introduce a motion. You are a resource person," Quimbo said.
Duterte said she did not make a motion but that she "requested."
"Just please answer the question. The issue of confidential funds falls squarely within our discussion of the 2025 budget," Quimbo added.
Tuesday's budget hearing at the House was marked by a breakdown of decorum as lawmakers, including Quimbo, repeatedly called for order to keep Duterte and some House members from trading insults.
Duterte, who initially refused to answer lawmakers' questions, rebuked Quimbo for not granting her request to skip the question and answer portion, saying: "Ayan ang sinasabi ko sa'yo kanina. Ayaw mong maniwala sa akin (That's what I've been saying. You didn't believe me)."
The vice president's remarks irked Quimbo, who urged her to "act respectfully."
"Hindi kasama sa puder ninyo ang pag-fa-fire ng presiding officer," Quimbo said.
(You do not have the authority to fire the presiding officer.)
Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (Pampanga, 2nd District) came to her protégé's defense and asked why the committee was asking questions related to the OVP's confidential and intelligence expenses in previous years, which have already been "extensively discussed."
Quimbo explained that while the OVP did not request confidential and intelligence funds for 2025, last year's deliberations of the OVP budget ended with a promise from COA to review the P125 million that Duterte spent in 11 days in 2022.
"It's a big amount of money. I believe we owe it to the people to understand what happened," the House appropriations panel senior vice chairperson said.
Quimbo said that since OVP was stripped of its proposed confidential and intelligence funds in 2024, "it's worth assessing what we did in 2024 to know what to do in 2025."
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