It’s distressing and disheartening to see congressional discussions regarding the government’s budget often deteriorate into criticisms of public officials’ possessions, such as designer bags and watches.

Resorting to ad hominem is unnecessary; it not only diverts attention from the crucial matters at hand but also undermines constructive dialogue about the distribution of public funds.

Raising accountability in budget hearings for unspent or unexplained funds is not immoral. It should be encouraged to safeguard public funds.

I find it unprofessional for participants in the hearings, be they members of Congress or guests defending their proposed budget, to engage in personal attacks, often triggered by political party affiliations and switching party loyalties.

Now that the budget is up for plenary debate, personal attacks on social media have intensified. We are waiting for last-minute defenders to speak on the floor and, finally, for the verdict to be reached.

Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo wants us to forget that she, as senior vice chair of the House of Representatives appropriations committee, previously defended and justified the OVP’s controversial P125 million confidential funds for its projects, seeing nothing improper about the fund transfer from the Office of the President.

It was also Quimbo, rather “Teacher Stella,” which is her preferred political monicker, who broke the horror that the OVP spent the confidential funds in just 11 days last year based on the Commission on Audit’s liquidation report.

Why would an office of the spare need such confidential funds when the President and a few departments and agencies deserving of such funds perform such functions? Unless there was such an agreement to be generous to Duterte during the campaign, which needed Teacher Stella’s help.

I read on social media that Teacher Stella is experiencing anxiety because of the public backlash and insulting memes resulting from her “mishandling” of the public hearing on the proposed budget of the Office of Vice President Sara Duterte.

As a woman, I sympathize with her. She is a prominent figure in academic circles and the wife of a former congressman whom she succeeded in the district. You can imagine how her children feel in school when beset with questions about her.

However, as a journalist, Teacher Stella must confront her challenges. She made her choices; now she has to deal with them.

She may regret justifying the OVP budget previously, thus causing rigid scrutiny. Or perhaps she was a close friend of those in power before but not anymore, which speaks highly of how she managed to change her political stance.

Netizens, particularly on X (frmerly Twitter) and Facebook, are “undressing” her, from the designer bags to the signature watches and shoes she wears, questioning how she could afford them based on her declared Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN). She should be cautious about being photographed on the beach; they might post the cost of her underwear.

Does Teacher Stella see nothing wrong with public officials wearing luxury items? Or is she simply following the example of other wealthy politicians who were born into privilege even though her district is constantly flooded during typhoons? No amount of handouts to constituents would overshadow the stark disconnect.

I prefer a bright yet modest Teacher Stella, who avoids wearing designer items while in office to uphold the principles of humility, integrity, transparency, and relatability essential for practical and ethical public service.

Wearing designer items in public raises questions about the sources of the official’s wealth, which may lead to suspicions of corruption or unethical practices and contradicts the principles of public service.

Public officials should be mindful of their present images and consider how the public perceives them. Using the title “Teacher” for political purposes is contradictory, as the title is usually associated with simplicity, sacrifice, dedication, and humility unless she wants to be identified with educational institutions for the rich, not a state university.

Of course, she may not care about my opinion. I don’t live in Marikina.

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