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The House of Representatives gives the Vice President one last chance to defend her proposed budget for 2025 on September 25, before it goes on a break
MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives is giving Vice President Sara Duterte one last chance to attend plenary-level budget deliberations, after she snubbed the proceedings for two straight days.
The second highest official of the country was again a no-show at the House on Tuesday, September 24, causing frustration among several lawmakers. Some of them decried how she made them wait for an entire day, and others asked her to consider relinquishing her post.
The budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) was originally scheduled to be taken up on Monday, September 23, but it was moved to Tuesday due to Duterte’s absence. It is now rescheduled to Wednesday, September 25, the last day that the House will be in session before it goes on a standard month-long break.
“We want to make sure that we give ample opportunities for the Office of the Vice President to make an appearance for our sponsorship and debate of all agencies…. Please allow me to make a motion to include again for tomorrow’s schedule at 10 am the Office of the Vice President,” Senior Deputy Minority Leader Paul Daza said in his motion, which was approved.
“For the OVP to appear and answer budget-related questions is not an option, it is an obligation,” Kabataan Representative Raoul Manuel added.
In Sara’s world
The OVP’s spin was that she did not make lawmakers wait 17 hours on Monday.
In a Facebook post, Duterte’s office said she had informed the OVP’s budget sponsor, House Assistant Majority Leader Zia Alonto Adiong, in a letter last week that Duterte “leaves the deliberation of our budget proposal in the plenary entirely to the pleasure of the House of Representatives.”
But lawmakers have argued that the letter is open to interpretation on whether she would attend the proceedings or not.
The House majority also said Duterte had sent a legal officer to represent her on Monday morning, but the chamber did not allow it, as the staff did not have written authorization, as required under House rules.
Duterte was in the Bicol region for some meet-and-greet events in Albay and Camarines Norte on the day the House was supposed to tackle her funding request for 2025 in the plenary.
Call to step down?
The deteriorating relationship between the Vice President and the House of Representatives is underscored by lawmakers’ growing confidence to chastise her in public.
“If she is no longer interested in her duties and functions as the Vice President, we can ask the Vice President to step down,” House appropriations vice chairperson Jil Bongalon said.
“It’s a clear sentiment being shared by a lot of members,” House Deputy Speaker Jay-jay Suarez said of Bongalon’s remarks.
Duterte has accusedHouse members of plotting her impeachment, but lawmakers have constantly denied this. There have been signs though it’s not a question of if, but when.
Unelected officers and members of party-list groups Gabriela and Kabataan have begun calling for Duterte’s impeachment. The two formations have sitting representatives in Congress who have the power to endorse a verified impeachment complaint their partymates would wish to file, if the leftist lawmakers won’t file it themselves.
The Vice President is being hounded by accusations that she misused public funds, in the wake of a state auditors’ order for her office to return P73 million in disallowed confidential expenses. Duterte, though, can still contest the notice of disallowance.
The OVP is seeking a budget of P2.037 billion for 2025, but her refusal to cooperate with the House has prompted lawmakers to reduce her funding request to P733 million.
With or without the Vice President’s presence, the House is scheduled to pass the proposed national budget of P6.3 billion on Wednesday, after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. certified the measure as urgent. – Rappler.com
