Lawmakers at the House of Representatives have a “plan” in place to attack her during the deliberations for the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed 2025 budget, Vice President Sara Duterte claimed.
Vice President Sara Duterte (OVP photo)
In the third part of a videotaped interview, a transcript of which was released by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Wednesday, Sept. 11, the official said that questions thrown at her during the Aug. 27 budget hearing weren’t about the OVP’s proposed budget, but they were about the confidential funds she sought back in 2023.
Duterte also said these queries were “scripted.”
“Doon sa budget hearing na nangyari noong August 27, nakita niyo na, mayroon na silang nakahandang PowerPoint presentation, mayroon na silang nakahandang audiovisual presentation, mayroon na silang nakahanda na script na binabasa (In the budget hearing last August 27, you can see, they have a prepared PowerPoint presentation, they already prepared an audiovisual presentation, they have a script that they’re reading),” she added.
The Vice President even quoted an unnamed lawmaker, who said she had no time to read the OVP’s presentation but was ready with her rebuttal to the legal points the OVP raised before the Commission on Audit (COA).
This, Duterte said, proved that there was a “plan” against her because lawmakers were able to access documents even though the final audit wasn’t completed yet.
“Kaya makikita ninyo, kung ulit-ulitin natin 'yung nangyari noong House budget hearing noong August 27. Mayroon silang plano na gamitin 'yun para siraan ako (If you can see, if we will look at what happened during the House budget hearing last August 27. They have a plan to defame me),” the official explained.
“At hindi lang sila tumitigil diyan. Kung makita ninyo, ngayon naman nasa DepEd budget sila ng pagsira ng pangalan ko. Kahit wala akong kinalaman doon sa mga observations ng Commission on Audit, sinasabi nila na ‘kasalanan ni Inday Sara 'yan’ (And they didn’t stop there. If you can see, now they are at the DepEd budget to defame me. Even though I don’t have anything to do with the Commission on Audit’s observations, they say ‘That’s Inday Sara’s fault’).”
The crux of the attacks against her was the confidential funds the OVP and DepEd sought in 2023.
Duterte recalled how the Makabayan bloc had a meeting with House Speaker Martin Romualdez and immediately after, the House leadership thumbed down her proposed confidential funds and that of other agencies.
Immediately afterward, her office was subjected to a COA audit, the Vice President added.
“So, nakikita niyo, bumulong ang Makabayan Bloc kay Martin Romualdez. At dahil sa kagustuhan ni Martin Romualdez na hindi siya atakihin, at dahil sa gusto niyang suportahan ang Makabayan at ang NPA, nakinig siya (So, you see, the Makabayan Bloc whispered to Martin Romualdez. And because Martin Romualdez didn’t want the attacks, and his want to support the Makabayan and NPA, he listened),” she explained, referring to the leftist New People’s Army (NPA).