Guanzon says House could slap budget cut on VP Duterte for SONA joke
At A Glance
- P3PWD Party-list nominee Rowena Guanzon has noted a possible punishment that House of Representatives members could impose on Vice President Sara Duterte for her much-panned "designated survivor" remark.
Rowena Guanzon (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook, MANILA BULLETIN)
By ELLSON QUISMORIO
P3PWD Party-list nominee Rowena Guanzon has noted a possible punishment that House of Representatives members could impose on Vice President Sara Duterte for her much-panned "designated survivor" remark.
In an X post over the weekend, Guanzon chimed on what could happen to Vice President Duterte--particularly her office--as a result of her joke, which implied that something bad could happen to the participants of the July 22 State of the Nation Address (SONA).
"Explain absence in SONA si VP Sara? Ano sya, estudyante ? (Explain VP Sara's absence in the SONA? What is she, a student?)," the outspoken Guanzon said of the outgoing Department of Education (DepEd) secretary.
"I dont agree with her statement about designated survivor, but Congressmen do not have any jurisdiction over a VP. They can cut her budget, though," she noted.
Guanzon was referring to the deliberations on the proposed 2025 national budget. House Speaker Martin Romualdez has said that passing the budget is the solons' top priority once the third and final regular session of the current 19th Congress starts.
President Marcos' upcoming SONA will mark the beginning of the third regular session.
Vice President Duterte--who some are calling the new opposition leader--grabbed headlines when she said last week that she would skip the SONA at Batasang Pambansa Complex after she had appointed herself the "designated survivor".
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https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/13/house-leader-hits-vp-sara-s-lack-of-maturity
Designated survivor refers to a person in the presidential line of succession who is kept distant from others in the line when they are gathered together, to reduce the chance that everyone in the line will be unable to take over the presidency in a catastrophic or mass-casualty event.
There was a popular and eponymous Netflix series about this notion in 2016. The series started Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland and lasted for three seasons.
Last year, during the House Committee on Appropriations approved the Office of the Vice President's (OVP) proposed P2.3-billion budget for 2024 with minimal discussion. The hearing was over in just 14 minutes.
It remains to be seen if the OVP will be given the same courtesy this year.