Jane Camino
The intense exchange between Vice President Sara Duterte and Senator Risa Hontiveros during a Senate budget hearing on Tuesday, August 20, has generated a wide range of reactions from the public and notable personalities.
Former Senator Leila de Lima was among the first to comment, sharing a video clip of the confrontation between Duterte and Hontiveros on her X (formerly Twitter) account. “Parang hindi public official itong VP na ito. Feeling royalty talaga,” de Lima captioned the post.
Parang hindi public official itong VP na ito. Feeling royalty talaga. https://t.co/CSg7mc9LgH
— Leila de Lima (@AttyLeiladeLima) August 20, 2024
Director Fifth Solomon also weighed in, criticizing the Vice President’s stance on using political names in public-funded materials. “Una dapat wala ang pangalan ng kahit sinong pulitiko sa mga libro. Pera yon ng taong bayan. Di mo pera. Pangalawa, pakisagot ang breakdown na tanong ni Hontiveros. Wag ilihis. Karapatan malaman yon ng tapng bayan at ng lahat dahil nga yes po, pera yon ng taong bayan,” Solomon stated.
Una dapat wala ang pangalan ng kahit sinong pulitiko sa mga libro. Pera yon ng taong bayan. Di mo pera.
Pangalawa, pakisagot ang breakdown na tanong ni Hontiveros. Wag ilihis. Karapatan malaman yon ng tapng bayan at ng lahat dahil nga yes po, pera yon ng taong bayan. https://t.co/AiJaWOAJI9
— Fifth Solomon (@FifthSolomon) August 20, 2024
Veteran singer Leah Navarro expressed her disapproval more bluntly, saying, “Simpering sycophant grovels to curry favor from a very spoiled brat. Icky.”
Simpering sycophant grovels to curry favor from a very spoiled brat. Icky. https://t.co/Lp4YybYaez
— Leah Navarro (@leahnavarro) August 21, 2024
The social media buzz didn’t stop there, as many netizens commented on what they saw as VP Sara Duterte’s evasive answers to Senator Hontiveros’ simple questions regarding the ₱10 million budget allocation for the publication of books. Observers noted a stark contrast in how Duterte responded to questions from Hontiveros compared to those posed by senators considered to be her allies.
Wala tayong pakialam kung magsulat si Sara ng libro. Pero kung gagastos ang gobyerno na 10M para sa aklat niya, ibang usapan ‘yun. Aklat niya yun, ba’t hindi siya ang gumastos? Iniaasa ni Sara ang gastos niya sa taumbayan. Walang karapatan si Sara na waldasin ang pera ng bayan.
— Jerry B. Grácio (@JerryGracio) August 20, 2024
The first thing I always say whenever I do lectures about the budget is this:
“The public budget is both a TECHNICAL document and a POLITICAL instrument”.
Actually, it is the VP using the OVP budget as a political tool by including patronage-driven projects https://t.co/b1DB0tevNV
— Budget Babe (@znsuzara) August 20, 2024
The video of the budget hearing shows the heated exchange that began when Senator Hontiveros inquired about the content of the book that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) planned to publish and distribute to children using the ₱10 million budget. Duterte responded by accusing Hontiveros of politicizing the budget hearing because the book would feature her name.
“This is an example of politicizing the budget hearing through the questions of a senator. Ang problema niya kasi, nakalagay ‘yung pangalan ko doon sa libro, at ‘yung libro na ‘yan ibibigay namin doon sa mga bata. At ‘yung mga bata na ‘yan may mga magulang na boboto, at ‘yong pangalan ko ay nagkalat doon sa kung saan man ibibigay ‘yung libro,” Duterte asserted.
Hontiveros quickly countered, saying, “Hindi ko maintindihan ‘yong ugali ng ating resource person. It is a simple question, paulit-ulit na ‘This is politicizing.’ Ang VP ang nagbanggit ng salitang ‘boboto’, wala akong sinabing ‘boboto.’ I’m simply asking,” Hontiveros replied.
As the discussion continued, Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the hearing, redirected the focus back to the book’s content. Duterte then clarified that the book would be about friendship.
The exchange between Duterte and Hontiveros has since drawn widespread attention online, with many questioning Duterte’s approach to the budget inquiry.
Meanwhile, Leila de Lima’s comments carry significant weight, as she has been a vocal critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte. De Lima was recently released from prison in 2024 after being incarcerated during Duterte’s administration over alleged drug-related charges.
