Don’t just act tough.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Sunday, September 1 challenged lawmakers of the Senate and House of Representatives to stop merely acting tough and instead exercise real power over the proposed budget of the Office Vice President for 2025.
Pimentel noted that Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio herself has repeatedly expressed willingness to leave her budget in the hands of Congress.
“Ang sabi niya (She said), I will leave it to Congress kung anong gagawin sa budget ko at iyon ay paulit-ulit, that means seryoso siya roon (what they want to do with my budget and she kept on saying that. That means she was serious about it),” Pimentel said in a Radio DZBB interview.
“Sinabi rin niya yun sa (She also said that in the) Senate. Hindi lang ngayong Congress niya sinabi iyon, sinabi rin niya last year iyon (She didn’t just say that in this Congress, she said that also last year), in a more respectful way,” Pimentel noted.
“Eh di dapat magpakitang gilas ang Congress. Hindi yung patapang-tapang pero pagtapos as is din pala ang budget (So, Congress should prove itself. Not just acting tough, but then keeping the budget as is),” he stressed.
Duterte-Carpio is requesting P2-billion budget of her office for 2025. This includes the P10-million budget she is requesting for the publication of her self-authored children’s book entitled “Isang Kaibigan.”
In a statement, Pimentel further said Congress should exercise the power of the purse to align the OVP’s budget with its constitutional mandate.
“Congress shouldn’t just act tough during hearings and then approve the budget as is. If you’re going to show strength, follow through by making sure the budget aligns with the Vice President’s constitutional role," he said.
Pimentel emphasized that the Vice President’s primary responsibility is to be ready to assume the presidency at any moment, as mandated by the Constitution.
Under the 1987 Constitution provides, the Vice President should be prepared to take the place of the President in case of the President’s death, permanent disability, removal or resignation from office.
Thus, he said, the Vice President’s budget should be used for essential preparations—seminars, briefings, and other activities that ensure she is ready to assume the presidency if required.
“This is what the Constitution demands, and this is where our focus should be," Pimentel said.
Thus, he said, it’s not the Vice President’s role to distribute school bags or run bus routes or distribute books.
“Ang role ng vice president ay maging palaging handa na maging president sakaling may mangyari sa nakaupong president. Hindi na niya role ang mamigay ng school bags (The role of the vice president is to always be ready to be the president should something happen to the sitting president. It is no longer his role to hand out school bags),” he said.
“Hindi na niya role ang magpatakbo ng mga bus. Sayang ang oras nila ron. Pati ba naman ang mga ruta ng bus (It is no longer her role to operate buses. It's a waste of their time. Even the bus routes),” Pimentel said in the interview.
At the same time, Pimentel raised concerns about the duplication of government programs by the OVP.
Rather than having a separate budget for social assistance, Pimentel suggested that the OVP rely on existing agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to provide assistance when necessary.