"[Her letter] is an insult to this institution... I do not care even if she is the Vice President"
WATCH: Rep. Benny Abante reacts to Vice President Sara Duterte's recent letter and "no show" at the resumption of House appropriations panel's deliberation for the proposed 2025 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Tuesday.
In the letter dated September 10, Duterte said that the OVP will "defer entirely to the discretion and judgment of the Committee regarding our budget proposal for the upcoming year."
The OVP did not send any representative to face lawmakers and defend their proposed P2 billion budget next year.
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TVTranscript
00:00Madam Chair, Madam Chair, Parliamentary Inquiry, Madam Chair, Madam Chair, Parliamentary Inquiry,
00:13it is also a cherished tradition in Congress that whenever we deliberate the budget of
00:21a certain agency, that the head of the agency must be present.
00:28At this point in time, there are no staff here, the head of the agency present on the
00:38office of the Vice President.
00:40And we only have a DBM here, a DBM even answered that only, the COA even answered that only
00:48the OVP could be able to answer that.
00:51Perhaps we could be able to say it, a cherished tradition to approve the budget immediately,
01:00but there's a cherished tradition that when we deliberate a budget of any agency, that
01:07the head of agency should be present.
01:10That is my Parliamentary Inquiry, Mr. Chair.
01:14So we, as we had explained earlier, we received a letter dated 10th September.
01:27And in that letter, our Vice President explained that he submitted all the documents that he
01:39thinks the Congress needs in our deliberation of his budget.
01:47Yes, Madam Chair.
01:48And so that is our situation for now.
01:53Pwede natin, pagkatapos ng ating interpolation, pwede natin desisyonan kung anong gagawin.
02:02Pero sa ngayon, ipapagpatuloy muna natin ang pagtatanong.
02:06Madam Chair, let me explain.
02:08But her letter actually, her not being present here, is an insult to this institution.
02:18When we had the last hearing, I even questioned her if this institution has the right to scrutinize
02:26the budget, and she even failed to answer.
02:29My goodness, I think that her writing a letter was telling us that she has completed, that
02:37she still must be present, Madam Chair.
02:41And because she is not present, she is actually insulting the second institution that should
02:47scrutinize the budget of the Vice President.
02:50And I do not care even if she is the Vice President, Madam Chair.
02:54I will not allow that Congress will be insulted by the head of any agency.
03:05Julie noted.
03:06Madam Chair, whatever your decision might be, I would concede to it.
03:14Salamat po.
03:16Please proceed.
03:17Thank you, Madam Chair, and salamat kong Benny.
03:20Akala ko po ako yung subject ng point of inquiry ninyo.
03:23Natakot po ako dun, pero salamat po.