Sara, Risa trade barbs in Senate hearing

National

VICE President Sara Duterte and Senator Risa Hontiveros engaged in a heated exchange during a Senate finance committee hearing on the proposed P2.037-billion budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for 2025.

The tension arose when Hontiveros questioned the P10-million allocation for a children's book titled Isang Kaibigan (A Friend), authored by Duterte, during a hearing at the Senate on Tuesday, August 20.

The inquiry began amicably, with Hontiveros questioning the overlap between OVP programs, such as medical and burial assistance, and those of other government agencies.

She suggested reallocating the budget for these programs to relevant line agencies, but the discussion quickly escalated when the topic of the children's book arose.

Hontiveros pressed Duterte on the content and distribution details of the book, which is part of the OVP’s PagbaBAGo Campaign to distribute one million bags to students.

Instead of directly answering the senator’s questions, Duterte accused Hontiveros of politicizing the budget hearing due to the inclusion of her name on the book, suggesting that Hontiveros was concerned about its potential influence on voters.

Duterte further brought up past remarks by Hontiveros criticizing her and her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, claiming that these comments were unrelated to the budget discussion but reflected ongoing political tensions.

Hontiveros responded by emphasizing that her questions were focused on the budget, not politics.

The exchange grew more contentious as Duterte mentioned a previous encounter where she claimed to have assisted Hontiveros during her 2016 senatorial campaign, a claim the senator did not directly address.

As the debate intensified, Senate finance committee chairperson Senator Grace Poe intervened, urging both parties to focus on the budget discussion.

Additionally, Duterte briefly described the book as being about friendship, a response Hontiveros suggested could have been given from the outset to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Despite the contentious nature of the hearing, the OVP's proposed budget was submitted to plenary without further incident.

This marks the first time during Duterte's term that the OVP has opted not to pursue confidential funds, a significant shift considering past controversies. In 2022, the OVP spent its P125 million in confidential funds within just 11 days. Although the OVP sought P500 million in confidential funds for 2023, the request was denied.(MyTVCebu)