MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte was reaching out to communities in Bicol when the House of Representatives deliberated on the Office of the Vice President’s budget proposal last Monday, according to the OVP, amid reports and photographs she was on a beach for leisure.
The OVP said Duterte was “on the road” speaking to communities in Vinzons and Daet in Camarines Norte and Legazpi City in Albay when House lawmakers assembled in plenary last Monday to deliberate on the OVP’s proposed P2.037-billion budget for 2025.
“The public is cautioned about the attempts of some media outlets to once again besmirch the reputation of the Vice President by publishing stories that she is on the beach while the House of Representatives is conducting the plenary deliberations on the budget,” the OVP said in a statement late last Monday.
The OVP was referring to reports by news outlet Politiko that published photos of the Vice President allegedly in Calaguas Island with her friends over the weekend after meeting with former vice president Leni Robedo in Naga City.
Politiko reported that Duterte was in the island from Sept. 21 to 22 and left the next day.
“It is quite easy to confirm her activities through social media posts of the residents in these areas. The OVP condemns fake news and media releases for clickbaits and profit,” the OVP said.
The instance was not the first time that Duterte was photographed on a supposed holiday amidst sensitive circumstances.
In July, Duterte received flak over her family trip to Germany as Typhoon Carina pummeled many parts of the country.
While her whereabouts during the plenary deliberations was criticized, Duterte had informed the House that she remained keen on skipping the proceedings, telling the OVP’s budget sponsor Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Adiong that she is confident in the strength of her proposal and that she leaves the final judgment entirely in the hands of lawmakers.
Duterte has yet to comment on the plenary deliberations, but she earlier conceded to alleged efforts to defund the OVP and that her office could still function with “zero” budget.
The OVP is proposing a P2.037-billion budget for 2025, the lion’s share of which would be allocated to its socio-economic programs such as medical, burial, livelihood, disaster, school supplies and educational assistance, among others.
Leniency
Following this development, the House, under the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez, will observe “maximum leniency” on Duterte by waiting until today for her to personally appear and defend the 2025 budget of her office.
“We are extending maximum leniency in the hopes of allowing the Office of the Vice President to defend its budget,” 1Rider party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez told reporters at a news briefing, noting that Congress’ break starts this coming Friday.
His colleagues, Deputy Speaker and Quezon 2nd District Rep. Jayjay Suarez and Reps. Paolo Ortega V (La Union first district), Jay Khonghun (Zambales first district) and Jil Bongalon (Ako Bicol party-list) assured the second highest elected official of the land that she would be given the opportunity to defend her proposed budget for next year.
“We will wait until Wednesday,” Bongalon said, while Suarez remarked that they would “give her all the opportunity” to appear.
“I hope she will not give false hopes and be a baby. We are extending the courtesy and respect for the OVP,” Ortega said.
“We’re hoping that at the very least, she respects the budget process,” Khonghun maintained.
The plenary hearing for the OVP was scheduled at 10 a.m. last Monday, but Duterte was again a no-show just like the Sept. 10 hearing at the appropriations committee led by its chairman and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, which resulted in the P1.3-billion budget cut of the Vice President’s original P2-billion proposal.
The OVP representative that Duterte sent, according to lawmakers, was “not authorized” to represent her.
Suarez lamented that Duterte never sent the House leadership “any explanation or letter” giving them any legitimate excuse from her absence, unlike the late DMW secretary Toots Ople who sent her “authorized representative” when she was still in Saudi Arabia fixing problems of overseas Filipino workers.
Asked what will happen if Duterte still refuses to cooperate, Suarez explained that he did not want to “pre-empt” or second-guess what his 315 House colleagues will do in the plenary.
“This is not for us (“Young Guns”) to decide. Let’s wait for the plenary to decide,” Suarez said.
Khonghun told legislative journalists that they are giving Duterte “maximum leeway.”
As for Duterte’s reported trip to the Calaguas beach resort in Camarines Norte shortly after she visited Robredo in Naga City for the Peñafrancia festival, the administration lawmakers said it was “very unfortunate,” if indeed the reports are proven true.
The assigned sponsor of the OVP budget, Adiong, waited for 17 hours last Monday for the OVP personnel to arrive but to no avail, which resulted in the suspension of the budget deliberations.
There has been growing frustration from both administration and opposition lawmakers over the repeated acts of defiance of either Duterte or her staff during key budget discussions and investigations in aid of legislation.
“We have disposed of all the items on the agenda today, except for one – the budget of the office of the OVP – and we have just checked the holding room of the OVP in the House premises and there are no persons present,” Pangasinan 6th District Rep. Marlyn Primicias Agabas said.
The absence of any representative from the OVP is particularly significant as the House is in the critical stages of deliberating its 2025 budget.
Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel expressed his frustration during the session, highlighting the Vice President’s continuous disregard for the House’s role in budget approval.
“Mr. Speaker, we actually waited for 17 hours since 10 a.m. of Sept. 23 up until 3 a.m. of Sept. 24.”
He said this is not the first time that Duterte acted disrespectfully toward the House, as she has been accused of evasiveness and a lack of transparency regarding the OVP’s expenditures as well as during her tenure as education secretary.
Sara told: Resign
Following her absence from crucial budget deliberations while reportedly vacationing at a beach resort in Camarines Norte, Bongalon called on the Vice President to resign if she cannot fulfill her duties, saying it reflects a clear lack of interest in her responsibilities as the country’s second-highest official.
“If she’s not interested in her duties and functions as Vice President, then maybe, we should ask the VP to step down,” Bongalon said during a press conference at the House.
The House assistant majority leader noted that House members waited for the Vice President to attend the plenary session last Monday and assist Adiong, the OVP budget’s sponsor, in addressing questions from lawmakers.
Instead of appearing, however, photos and videos of Duterte vacationing in Calaguas Island surfaced online, raising concerns about her absence.
Reports said she arrived in the island last Saturday and only left last Monday morning.
“In other words, it simply means she really has no intention of attending the plenary budget deliberations and defend the budget of the OVP. If she really had the intention, maybe as early as Sunday she could have been in Manila, or she could have communicated with Adiong,” Bongalon said.
Alliance?
Former vice president Robredo may be entertaining the idea of forging and alliance with Duterte out of her “hatred to the Marcoses,” according to former senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
In an interview with “Storycon” on One News yesterday, Trillanes said he is not buying the claim of Robredo’s camp, led by Barry Guttierrez, that Duterte’s recent visit to the former vice president was not pre-arranged.
“There is no such thing as short notice. She is the VP. Wherever she goes, she has an advance party,” Trillanes said, referring to Duterte.
Trillanes said Duterte is conducting rounds to get support from other political leaders because she knows that she is already “politically isolated.”
“I believed so. It’s just a matter of time. That is why she is going everywhere to get allies. That is what I am saying. Everybody should be more circumspect at this point because the office is not good. She is looking for an ally. She is already politically isolated,” Trillanes said.
He added that he wants to save Robredo from being used by Duterte to sanitize her declining political image.
“The last thing we want is she is able to sanitize her image. That is where I am coming from. Sorry to her diehard followers. We are already here. We have been working against this family for eight years. This family who are a menace to our society. And then it will be sanitized,” he added.
’18 senators to back VP impeachment’
Meanwhile, 18 senators are likely to support the impeachment complaint that he intend to file against Duterte, according to Trillanes.
Trillanes said the 22 Articles of Impeachment that he intends to file against Duterte is already prepared.
“Yes, I think it can get 18 votes, at the minimum. Duterte has no affection among the senators. She acts as if she is a queen,” Trillanes said.
He said he is in talks with a House member to endorse the impeach ment case against Duterte.
Trillanes added that the Articles of Impeachment include the P125 million confidential funds that she spent in 11 days during her stint as education secretary along with the P650-million confidential funds that she spent in 2023 as education secretary and Vice President.
Also included is her P2.7-billion peace-and-order fund in Davao City when she was mayor, also with con fidential funds.
“She also has bank accounts, which I exposed in 2016 – joint ac counts with (former president Ro drigo) Duterte. This was confirmed by the AMLC (Anti-Money Launder ing Council) and the Office of the Ombudsman. All of that,” Trillanes said. — Delon Porcalla, Jose Rodel Clapano