A day before the second round of deliberations for the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed 2025 budget, Vice President Sara Duterte denied allegations that she acted like a “bratinella (spoiled brat)” when she refused to answer questions from members of the House committee on appropriations during the first round of budget deliberations last month.
Vice President Sara Duterte (Photo from Inday Sara Duterte Facebook page)
In a videotaped interview, a transcript of which was released by the OVP on Monday, Sept. 9, the official addressed public criticisms on how she acted during the first budget hearing.
Duterte insisted that she’s used to address questions, which is why she remains open to ambush interviews so she can share her thoughts with the public.
“Sanay ako sa ganyan, at alam ng taumbayan na hindi ako 'bratinella' o spoiled brat dahil kilala nila ako simula noong ako ay nasa Davao pa, simula nang ako ay mayor pa hanggang naging Vice President ako (I am used to that, and the people know that I am not a ‘bratinella’ or spoiled brat because they know since I was in Davao, when I was a mayor until I became Vice President),” she said, adding that she grew up among “ordinary citizens” who were neither from powerful nor rich families.
“Kilala ako ng taumbayan na hindi ko inabuso ang aking power and ang aking authority sa lahat ng mga opisina na nahawakan ko. Testigo ko ang buong bayan na hindi ako isang spoiled brat (The people know that I never abused my power and authority in all the offices I handled. The whole county is witness that I am not a spoiled brat),” Duterte stressed.
Instead, she sees the criticisms of her being called a “spoiled brat,” especially on social media, as an “attack” from the House of Representatives.
“Sa palagay ko, hindi lang sanay ang iilan na mga miyembro ng House of Representatives na hindi nila makuha 'yung gusto nila at gusto nilang marinig na sagot (I think some members of the House of Representative are not used to not getting what they want and what answer they want to hear),” she explained.
The Vice President added that some lawmakers were also not used to someone answering their accusations directly.
“Kaya sa tingin ko, isa din itong parang atake din nila na parang: "Oh, bratinella 'yan," kahit na sumagot naman ako. Hindi nga lang sa gusto nila (That’s why I think this is a form of attack like: ‘Oh, she’s a bratinella,” even though I answered. Just not the way they want),” Duterte added.
Duterte faced the House appropriations panel on Aug. 27 to defend her proposed P2.037-billion budget for 2025.
However, she eventually told lawmakers that she will forego the opportunity to defend the budget proposal and will instead defer to the wisdom of Congress.
As a result, in a rare move, the committee deferred the approval of the OVP’s proposed budget for 2025 and it scheduled another round of deliberations for Duterte’s office on Sept. 10.