Vice President Sara Duterte attends a hearing for the Office of the Vice President's 2025 budget at the House of Representatives on August 27, 2024.  Photo courtesy of the House of Representatives

MANILA (UPDATE) — Vice President Sara Duterte did not show up Tuesday during the resumption of the House of Representatives' deliberation on her office's proposed 2025 budget following her heated exchange with some lawmakers in the first hearing.

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In a letter to House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Duterte said the Office of the Vice President (OVP) had submitted the necessary documents and previously articulated position on issues regarding its budget.

"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 hearing was scheduled at 9 a.m. but the panel waited an hour before it started its hearing, with no one from the OVP attending.

• House panel defers approval of OVP’s proposed 2025 budget

“We extended courtesy by waiting for one hour,” Committee Senior Vice Chairperson Rep. Stella Quimbo said.

'BOYCOTT'

ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro during the hearing called Duterte “bratinella to the max” for snubbing the resumption of the House panel hearing, which she said was a first. 

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“Pagbo-boycott ito dahil wala pa akong natatandaan na ahensya ng gobyerno o executive branch na binoycott ang Kongreso dito sa budget hearing o deliberation. Ibig sabihin betrayal ito of her oath of office... Talagang bratinella to the max! Ayaw na ngang matanong, umiiwas sa tanong,” she said.

Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas also stressed that even though Duterte may not like being questioned, she was still duty-bound to attend the budget hearing. 

“She may not like our questions last hearing. She may not like being questioned about the OVP expenses. She may not like sitting with us here in the House, but she is accountable to the people, and she has this sworn duty to the Constitution being the head of the agency to be here," Brosas said.

Meanwhile, Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante called out Duterte and her office for "insulting" the House of Representatives, saying they are faced with a "blank wall" due to their absence.

"She is insulting this institution... I do not care even if she is the vice president. I will not allow Congress to be insulted by any agency," he said.

He added that Duterte's absence at the budget hearing could be "unconstitutional."

“This is not just one congressman. This is a collegial body... The fact that the head of the agency is not here today is further giving an insult to the body here, and that is I think would be unconstitutional,” he said.

TO PROCEED OR TERMINATE?

A brief argument then ensued after Rep. Rodante Marcoleta raised a motion to terminate the budget deliberations on OVP, citing the "tradition" of the chamber to extend "parliamentary courtesy."

‘Yung hindi pagdating ng ating pangalawang pangulo ngayon, ang suspetsa ko ay dahil sa nangyari na mga pagtatanong noong nakaraang pagdinig... I am now introducing the motion to terminate the consideration of the budget of the Vice President on the basis of the long and time-honored tradition, in order for us to respect a tradition,” he said.

This motion was seconded by Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab, but Kabataan Party List Representative Raoul Manuel objected.

The presiding officer put Marcoleta’s motion to a vote. With a vote of 45-3, the House panel rejected the motion to terminate the committee deliberations on OVP’s proposed 2025 budget. 

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Quimbo, who is presiding the hearing, said "continuing with the proceeding does not mean this is an acceptable situation."

Duterte earlier accused lawmakers of "politicizing" the budget hearings.

The OVP is seeking a P2.03-billion budget for next year.

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