Vice President Sara Duterte (left), Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre (MANILA BULLETIN)

House Deputy Majority Leader and Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre says Vice President Sara Duterte “deliberate snub” of the deliberations of her own office’s budget is a “gross neglect” of her constitutional duty to ensure transparency in using public funds.

“The Vice President’s deliberate snub of the budget hearing shows a blatant disregard for her constitutional duty to answer to Congress and the Filipino people,” Acidre said in a statement.

“This isn’t just about skipping a meeting—it’s about intentionally avoiding accountability, which is fundamental to public service," he added.

On Tuesday, Sep. 10, Duterte skipped the hearing on the proposed P2.037-billion 2025 budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP). In a letter to House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the Vice President left the approval of her budget to the “discretion” of the Committee on Appropriations.

Duterte’s absence, according to Acidre, is a “blatant violation” of the core principles of governance and accountability.

“As public officials, we are expected to answer tough questions and face the scrutiny that comes with handling public funds. The Vice President’s refusal to do so is an affront to the very principles that underpin our democracy,” the lawmaker stressed.

“Her actions are not just disappointing—they are alarming,” he pointed out.

Acidre emphasized that by dodging scrutiny from lawmakers, it ultimately “undermines” the very essence of democratic governance, which relies on checks and balances.

Following Duterte’s absence in the budget hearing, the congressman argued that this only raises concerns about how the OVP’s budget is being handled.

During the first deliberations on the OVP last Aug. 27, the Vice President was particularly questioned on the controversial spending of P125 million in confidential funds in just 11 days in 2022.

“The Constitution mandates that all government officials, especially those who handle large amounts of public funds, must be transparent and accountable. Her decision to skip this hearing is a clear attempt to dodge that responsibility,” noted Acidre.

During Tuesday’s hearing, SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta raised a motion to terminate the deliberations quickly insisting on the traditional parliamentary courtesy to the OVP. This, however, was rejected.

In a manifestation, Acidre said this long-standing tradition is not above the Constitution.

He noted that it does not absolve Congress of its duty to scrutinize the proposed budget, as well as provide an alibi to government agencies from their obligation to report before lawmakers.

“The rules of parliamentary or inter-branch courtesy is simple: It’s all based on mutual courtesy. And if you can see how the House behaved during the last hearing, I am confident that we have afforded every courtesy to the Office of the Vice President,” said Acidre, who chairs the Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs.

“It doesn’t have to be the person, but the office we should put in high regard. And I don’t think the House or this committee was remiss in that obligation,” he observed.

“But the question is, has the Vice President extended the same courtesy to the members of the House of this Committee? Her absence today is a clear manifestation that she does not intend to provide the same courtesy to us,” the solon added.

Acidre further said this is first time the panel did not extend the usual courtesy for the sitting Vice President because it is also the first time the country’s second leading official “unfairly and brazenly disrespected” the lower chamber.

He also said that while he agree with the tradition of courtesy to the OVP, he didn’t made an oath to uphold that.

“The only oath that I remember I made was uphold the Constitution and the principle that a public office is a public trust. With that, we must uphold the democratic process of checks and balance upon which this democracy is founded upon,” he said.

In line with this, Acidre highlighted how Vice President Duterte should be expected to set an example of accountability.

“If the Vice President cannot stand before Congress to explain how her office intends to use taxpayer money, then she is failing in her most basic duty as a public servant,” he said.

“The people deserve better. They deserve a leader who values accountability and transparency,” he underscored.