Lawmakers slam Sara, OVP no-show at budget hearing, calling it an 'insult'

Vice President Sara Duterte and her entire office were absent on Tuesday during the continuation of her office's budget hearing, which had been deferred earlier after a heated debate between her and lawmakers.

In a letter to House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Duterte said the Office of the Vice President (OVP) had already submitted to the Committee on Appropriations "all necessary" documents and even provided a "detailed presentation" of her proposed P2.037 billion allocation for fiscal year 2025. 

"We defer entirely to the discretion and judgment of the committee regarding our proposed budget for the incoming year," Duterte said in the letter.

The OVP budget hearing was initially scheduled for 9:00 a.m. The deliberation began at 10:00 a.m., during which Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, the panel's senior vice chairperson and presiding officer, confirmed that the entire OVP team would not appear before the panel.

Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas and Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. lamented that Duterte's absence from the budget hearing was an "insult" to Congress, which is constitutionally tasked with reviewing it.

"Madam Chair, she may not like being questioned about the OVP expenses, she may not like sitting with us here in the House, but madam chair, she is accountable to the people and she has this sworn duty to the Constitution being the head of the agency to be here… This is an insult to the Filipino people and Congress," Brosas said.

"She is actually insulting the sacred institution that should scrutinize the budget of the Vice President, and I do not care even if she is the Vice President. I will not allow that Congress will be insulted by the head of any agency," Abante added. 

For ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro, a staunch critic of Duterte, it was a "boycott" of Congress and a "betrayal of her oath of office."

Duterte allies in the House

Sagip Partylist Rep. Rodante Marcoleta and Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab attempted—but failed—to terminate the budget deliberation of the OVP, citing a "time-honored tradition," in which Congress extends parliamentary courtesy to the Executive as a co-equal branch. 

"The tradition is the two highest positions of government, namely the Office of the Vice President and the Office of the President, are not traditionally subjected to questions… [They] are duly accorded with respect and deference," Marcoleta averred.

Abante also wanted to conclude the budget hearing because "without the presence of any of the officers and officials of the OVP, we are facing a blank wall here."

However, the panel later continued with the hearing despite Duterte's absence after Marcoleta's motion was defeated by a 3-45 vote.

While Quimbo acknowledged that Duterte is entitled to courtesy as part of the long-standing tradition, she emphasized that it should not come at the expense of "abandoning" her responsibility.

“More importantly nandyan ang accountability. Kailangan wasto ang paggamit kaya kailangan talagang humarap samin. Once a year lang naman. It’s a reasonable ask,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Angelo Bongalon, vice chairperson of the panel, argued that the committee could not just extend such courtesy to somebody not present at the hearing.

Moreover, he stressed that Duterte’s absence was as a sign of weakness and a lack of accountability. 

“It is disheartening to see the Vice President avoid the scrutiny that comes with public office. Her actions show a lack of respect not only for Congress but for every Filipino,” he remarked.

To recall, Duterte and House members traded barbs during the previous budget hearing on 27 August after she repeatedly refused to answer or gave generic responses regarding her use of P125 million in confidential funds in 2022, of which P73.287 million was disallowed by the Commission on Audit.

The OVP's P125 million in confidential funds, spent in just 11 days in December 2022, were part of the P221.42 million contingent fund from the OP that was transferred to Duterte's office allegedly without congressional authorization.