A book on friendship to be distributed under a 2025 project of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) sparked a hostile exchange between VP Sara Duterte and Senator Risa Hontiveros during the budget deliberations of a Senate finance subcommittee on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/20/politicizing-the-budget-hontiveros-vp-sara-clash-over-children-s-book-during-hearing-on-ovp-budget-1
READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/20/politicizing-the-budget-hontiveros-vp-sara-clash-over-children-s-book-during-hearing-on-ovp-budget-1
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00:00Yung huling tanong ko sa ngayon, Madam Chair, for 2025, one of the OVP's programs, Pagbabago
00:08Campaign, A Million Learners and Trees, involves the provision of bags to one million learners
00:15in remote communities while initiating tree planting activities.
00:20This gets an appropriation of 100 million pesos.
00:23Part of this campaign is an allocation of 10 million pesos for the distribution of isang
00:28kaibigan books, a children's book authored by the VP.
00:33Pwede po bang sabihin ni VP sa atin more tungkol sa librong ito?
00:51Madam Chair, let me make a rebuttal and another example of politicizing the budget of the
00:56government.
00:57Ito pong sinabi ni Sen. Riza Conteveros na at the proper time she'll make a motion to
01:03lodge the budget, the requested budget of the OVP to the other agencies.
01:09Let me just quote Sen. Riza during the ACT-BAYAN Congress.
01:14Alam ko po na ang daming kalat ni Duterte na hirap tayong linisin.
01:22Ang kadiliman noong panahon niya ay talaga namang nanuot sa ating lipunan, paraman sa
01:28na napakahirap tanggalin.
01:29At habang ang anak niya ay may kapangyarihan pa, hindi magiging madali ang ating laban.
01:35While VP Sara is in power, the threat of a full-blown Duterte comeback is still a very
01:42real and present danger.
01:45For one, they are supported by one major superpower, China.
01:50So that is an example of politicizing the budget of the government.
01:58May we request Madam Chair that Sen. Riza Conteveros repeat the last question.
02:05I will certainly, if you request Madam Chair, repeat my question dahil walang kinalaman sa
02:10kasasabi lang ng VP ngayon.
02:13Alam nating lahat na miyembro ng iba't-ibang partido, yung speeches natin sa ating mga
02:18kamiembreo sa mga party congresses ay hiwalay na event dito sa budget debates.
02:27So I really take exception dun sa sinabi ni VP na rebattle yan dahil halimbawa ito
02:33sa politicizing.
02:34In fact, wala akong tinanong tungkol sa China o kahit sino pang ibang bansa dito sa budget
02:39hearing na to.
02:40I am asking about yung national budget na ipapasa natin sa Kongreso para sa bansang Pilipinas
02:48sa taong 2025.
02:49At ang pangalawang at huling tanong ko sa ngayon, before I may at the proper time propose
02:56an amendment which may or may not be accepted by the Chair and by the colleagues para nga
03:02mas-ialign ang mga kaperahan natin lalo na masikip ang fiscal space natin dun sa mga appropriate
03:10programs sa appropriate agencies na malayang-malaya ang OVP makipag-partner sa kanila tulad ng
03:17sino pang opisina sa executive.
03:20Ang tanong ko po ay ilang mga libro ng isang kaibigan ay bibilihin at i-distribute, at
03:26ano, if the VP could tell us more about the contents ng librong ito?
03:31Madam Chair?
03:36Madam Chair, the book is not for sale.
03:40We only pay for the publication of the book and we will send Senator Antiveros a copy
03:46so that she will know what is the content of the book.
03:50Oh, this question is not only for me Madam Chair, para rin para sa mga kasama dito sa
03:55budget hearing.
03:56Baka ilang araw pa bago mapadala at mabasa ko which I certainly will.
04:03But I am asking a question bilang isang mambabatas sa head of agency ng isang opisina sa executive
04:11dito sa budget hearing na to.
04:13Simpleng tanong, tell us more about the book, isang kaibigan, at ilang kopya nito ang bibilihin
04:19ng gobyerno sa halagang P10M at i-distribute sa kasama ng mga bags sa 1M learners sa remote
04:29communities Madam Chair?
04:35Madam Chair, this is an example of politicizing the budget hearing through the questions of
04:44a Senator.
04:45Ang problema niya kasi nakalagay yung pangalan ko doon sa libro at yung libro na yan ibibigay
04:51namin doon sa mga bata at yung mga bata na yan may mga magulang na boboto at yung pangalan
04:58ko ay nagkalat doon sa kung saan man ibibigay yung libro.
05:06Madam Chair, we commit to send tomorrow everyone in this room a copy of the book.
05:37about a P10M item, na itinatanong ko lang simpleng what is the book about, at ilang kopya
05:44ang bibilihin ng gobyerno sa halagang P10M at i-distribute.
05:49I don't appreciate this kind of attitude Madam Chair.
05:54Usually ang resource persons natin ay nagbibigay ng parehong institutional courtesy sa legislature
06:01na ibinibigay natin sa executive.
06:03I don't appreciate this kind of attitude.
06:33I don't appreciate this kind of attitude Madam Chair.
07:03I don't appreciate this kind of attitude Madam Chair.
07:33I don't appreciate this kind of attitude Madam Chair.
08:03With due respect to our resource persons and also our colleagues, I think this doesn't
08:17really...
08:18I understand there's history among all of us here, but I think we should really stick
08:25to the budget.
08:26And I think this is just being very objective.
08:30I would like to ask also, since we're going to be furnished a copy tomorrow, we can look
08:36at it and evaluate what the content of the book is.
08:41But maybe just a general, we won't ask line by line, ano ba yung libro na yan?
08:47But tell me, is it for good manners and right conduct?
08:51That's fine.
08:52Is it science?
08:53Is it history?
08:54So maybe just a general one so we can just answer it.
08:57Because I understand that every office will have its own advocacy and initiative.
09:03But then, I don't think it's also wrong for us to be curious what it is about.
09:08So just a general one.
09:09Any of the undersecretaries can tell me what the topic of the book is?
09:15Is it history?
09:16Is it...
09:17What is it?
09:18Isang kaibigan.
09:19Madam Chair, the explanation is in the title, Isang Kaibigan.
09:25It's about friendship.
09:26Okay.
09:27And that's for the record.
09:28It's about friendship.
09:29Madam Chair, just a last point.
09:31Okay.
09:32So kung sana ganun yung naging sagot sa simula pa?
09:35Diba?
09:36Napaka simple.
09:37Simpleng tanong, dapat simpleng sagot.
09:39Nagkuwento pa ng kuwento na sinabi dati na walang kinalaman sa tanong ko.
09:46Just for the record, as a last point, Madam Chair, this is public funds.
09:52And we're making inquiries about them.
09:55Budget hearing po ito.
09:57Hindi po lahat about you, pero po ito ng Taong Bayan.
10:00For the record, Madam Chair.
10:01Okay, okay.
10:02I think that is not yet personal.
10:03Thank you, Madam Chair.
10:04Yes.
10:05But I understand the emotion is high.
10:06But let's continue on.
10:08If you have any more questions, Senator Riza, we will...
10:10Those are just my two questions, Madam Chair.
10:12Marami salamat po.