Predictably, Vice President Sara Duterte was a no show at the second budget hearing by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriations on September 10, 2024.
Instead, her office sent a letter stating that they have submitted all the necessary documents and will defer to the discretion and judgment of the House regarding her office’s budget proposal.
In a scripted video interview released by her office to the media the day before the second budget hearing, VP Sara tried to explain, but miserably failed to make sense, why she refused to defend the 2025 budget of her office for 2025, amounting to P2.037 billion.
Previously, she faced backlash after the first House budget hearing for her office on August 27, 2024.
Clips of her behavior and outright refusal to explain the proposed budget of her office for 2025 amounting to P2.037 billion made headlines and went viral on social media, which also resulted in the birth of the “shimenet” meme.
Vice President Sara Duterte then hit back at claims that she is a “bratinella” or “spoiled brat.”
In an interview, VP Sara defends herself by saying that she grew up in an ordinary environment and that her friends were not from political or rich families.
According to her, she believes that the House members are not used to her direct or straightforward style, which is why they are calling her ‘spoiled’. She also insists that she actually answered their questions, but that the House members just did not like the answers she gave.
VP Sara also said she acknowledges Congress’ power to scrutinize the OVP’s proposed budget. But then, she chose not to respond to additional questions when asked about her use of P125 million confidential funds for 2022. She went on to accuse some House members of using the opportunity to launch political attacks against her.
This is not the first time that VP Sara clashed with Congress over the budget for her office.
Earlier in the month, during the deliberation for the OVP’s budget by the Senate Committee on Finance, she similarly accused a legislator of politicizing the budget discussion when asked to explain a P10 million proposal for a book she authored.
VP Sara’s repeated clashes with lawmakers reveal a pattern of avoiding accountability, similar to her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, during his controversial bloody drug war.
Her refusal to answer budget questions and tendency to blame others for political motives instead of discussing the real issues reflect an air of arrogance, which undermines the trust that the public and Congress need to have in officials who manage large sums of taxpayers’ money.
While VP Sara claims to be some down to earth woman of the masses, her ‘bratty’ behavior in Congress shows her real personality.
She is like a spoiled child of rich and powerful parents who would throw tantrums when she does not get what she wants.
It is ironic how easy it is for her to answer during scripted interviews but refuses to respond to budget questions during hearings and even skipped the budget hearing entirely.
