Sara skips budget hearing

Vice President Sara Duterte did not attend the continuation of her office budget hearing on Tuesday, prompting lawmakers to criticize her absence and call it an insult to Congress.

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 provided a “detailed presentation” of her proposed P2.037-billion budget 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 a.m. but began at 10 a.m. During the deliberation, Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, the panel’s senior vice chairperson and presiding officer, confirmed that no representatives from the OVP would be attending.

Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas and Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. said Duterte’s absence from the hearing was an “insult” to Congress, which is constitutionally responsible for reviewing the budget.

“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 if she is the Vice President. I will not allow Congress to be insulted by the head of any agency,” Abante said.

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

Duterte allies

in the House

However, Sagip Partylist Rep. Rodante Marcoleta and Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab attempted — unsuccessfully — to end the OVP budget deliberation, citing the “time-honored tradition” of extending parliamentary courtesy to the executive as a co-equal branch of government.

“The tradition is the two highest positions of government, namely, the Office of the Vice President and the Office of the President, are not subjected to questions. [They] are duly accorded respect and deference,” Marcoleta said.

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.”

The panel, however, continued with the hearing despite Duterte’s absence after Marcoleta’s motion was defeated by a 45-3 vote.

While Quimbo acknowledged that Duterte was entitled to courtesy as part of the longstanding tradition, she emphasized that it should not come at the expense of “abandoning” her responsibility.