Sara wants House appropriations vice chair replaced in budget hearing
Vice President Sara Duterte said Monday she wanted the House Appropriations senior vice chair and Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo to be replaced during the budget hearing for her office's budget.
During the House deliberations, ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro asked Duterte to confirm if the Commission on Audit (COA) has disallowed P73 million of the P125 million confidential funds that her office used in 2022.
In response, Duterte said, “Madam Chair, I do not understand. Why is a person who is convicted of child abuse still sitting in the House of Representatives?”
She was referring to Castro and addressing Quimbo, the senior vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations.
Duterte also insisted that the confidential funds in the past budgets of her office were not connected to the 2025 budget.
“This is a hearing of the budget of 2025. Where can you find the mention of confidential funds here?” she told lawmakers.
Casto explained that the past budget could be examined to see how a department was using its funds.
“We can ask about everything here. So according to the budget, whether it’s in the past, because here we can see the utilization of the budget. So even the budgets of the past years can be scrutinized,” Castro said.
Duterte still refused to answer any questions about her use of confidential funds in her previous budgets.
“Where in the budget proposal of 2025 is the item of confidential funds? In your rules, it said that in aid of legislation, the discussion should be germane to the topic,” she said.
Quimbo intervened, asking Duterte to proceed with her answer to Castro’s questions since the lawmaker had “provided a sufficient explanation.”
After being questioned for a while by other minority bloc lawmakers about her past confidential funds, she asked Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, the chair of the panel, to take over the hearing.
“I request that the chairperson of the Finance committee preside over this hearing,” Duterte said.
Quimbo answered, “Madam Vice President, with due respect, you are not allowed to do that Madam Vice President. You are not allowed to do any notion. You are a resource person in this hearing.”
“I did not move, Ma’am. I requested,” Duterte said.
Quimbo denied her request.
“So your request is denied. Just please answer the question. The issue on confidential funds falls squarely within our discussion of your 2025 budget,” she said.
Duterte gave up her right to defend the P2 billion proposed budget and said she would leave the decision to the lower chamber.
Deliberations over the budget of the Office of the Vice President will resume on September 10. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
