Friend or Fiend?

Cartoon by Noa Mendoza

Rather than a smooth convening of the nation’s most influential political authorities, the distinguished Senate hearings embarrassingly dumbed down into a comedic circus show – complete with all the dramatic theatrics centering around the main act of the Vice President, Sara Duterte. Her performance in the recent Senate hearings has not only left politicians with unaddressed questions but has confuddled the public about her use of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) 10 million peso budget. As her recent controversial actions have taken the spotlight, is this budget request a genuine effort to promote education or a politically driven allocation under the guise of public service?

The OVP’s proposed budget for Isang Kaibigan is meant to fund the publication and distribution of one million copies to children in remote communities, part of a broader effort to provide school supplies and educational materials. As described by Duterte, the book focuses on "friendship," aiming to instill positive values in young readers. Although this may seem true, it still doesn’t give any sufficient explanation on why Duterte prefers to dodge the questions thrown at her by the House. Every time Sen. Risa Hontiveros asks queries about her use of the previous year’s budget or why the OVP will allocate ₱10 million for publishing copies of Isang Kaibigan, Duterte accuses her of “politicizing” the budget.

Moreover, the clash over Isang Kaibigan brings us to the bigger picture, Duterte’s immaturity in straightforwardly answering the questions given to her. This is an embarrassing display of attitude during these hearings, which sets a bad precedent not only for herself but for the OVP. Her refusal to address Hontiveros' legitimate questions properly such as “How many copies of the book would be printed, and what is the specific distribution plan?” Duterte proceeds to give a vague breakdown of the plan on distribution leading Hontiveros to re-emphasize the transparency, reminding her that the budget of the OVP is the money of the taxpayers. Duterte later mentioned that a copy would be sent to Hontiveros, even so, she never clarified further in the hearing.

Furthermore, Hontiveros asked, “How will the OVP ensure that public funds are spent without implicit political branding?” Duterte replied that her name would indeed be in the book but should not be taken as politicization even though the book will reach a massive audience. The blatant hypocrisy Duterte shows at this moment is childish at best. For her to accuse the House of politicizing the OVP’s budget just for her to give a pious reply to one of Hontiveros’ questions suggests to the public that she’s not just vague when it comes to transparency but her pious arguments to defend her stance as well.

Although some critics may argue that this is a good example of budget allocation directed to the social welfare of the people as it is focused on aiding the education of children in rural areas, we still have to remember that the  10 million peso budget is just a small fraction of what the OVP will provide. Given the magnitude of the educational gaps here in the Philippines, does one book – politically branded by a politician, warrant such a significant allocation? We must also point out that the Department of Education (DepEd) is one of the organizations that already run extensive programs aimed at enhancing education and character-building; what Duterte is currently doing is redundant to existing educational programs. For example, DepEd’s budget already covers a wide range of resources and initiatives which makes the OVP’s separate initiative seem unnecessary and even politically motivated.

On top of that, the political motivation has undermined Duterte’s transparency. Even though she provided a copy of the book to the House, it does not equate to a detailed breakdown of how every peso will be used to produce and distribute the book. Instead of providing a detailed answer, Duterte uses tactics she knows all too well – blind accusations and self-victimization instead of taking responsibility to address the confusion in the air. “Madam chair, can you please stop politicizing the OVP’s budget?” Duterte claims, instead of transparency, she chooses hypocrisy.

This brings us to the bigger issue of the matter, is the OVP’s budget in the hands of a trustworthy politician? From the budget allocation for Isang Kaibigan to her wild accusations and childish responses in the budget hearing, Duterte’s performance as the Vice President has been disappointing. When she was asked by Representative France Castro about her use of the confidential funds she simply evaded the question altogether. This heightened the tension and led Castro to press Duterte more, noting how 125 million pesos of the funds were spent in a span of 11 days. As Castro sought clarity, Duterte accused her of unfairly “crucifying” her office dismissing Castro’s questions as politically motivated attacks. These wild allegations made by Duterte are just one of the tactics she uses to evade questions regarding the funds of the public.

As the Budget hearing reaches its denouement it still leaves the public and Senate with unanswered questions and answers that seek clarification. The hearing has not only shamefully spiraled into a pathetic comedic show but has been an episode where Duterte reveals her true colors. The lack of transparency as well as her martyr complex has shaken both the House’s and the public’s trust. In addition, it establishes a notoriety for Duterte’s position, and her insufficiency to give proper clarification to the questions thrown. She has not only failed to bring clarity but has portrayed pretension while hiding it all in a pitiful mask. Her performance really makes you wonder, is she a friend or fiend?