VP Sara's book illustrators part of DepEd but there's no record of payment —Angara

There is no official record of payment to the illustrators of "Isang Kaibigan," the children's book authored by Vice President Sara Duterte, according to current Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Monday.

"There is no payment made to them for whatever they did. So it's either they made it gratis or for free or they were paid on the side," Angara told the House of Representatives' Committee on Appropriations.

"We don't really know because there is no record of official payment to them," he added.

The two illustrators as printed on the cover of "Isang Kaibigan" are Janina Simbillo and Joseph Kaligner, who, according to Angara, are Department of Education (DepEd) employees.

"But just for the record, they are employees, job order employees of the Public Affairs Service of the DepEd, Your Honor," Angara told the committee.

1-Rider party-list Representative Ramon Gutierrez said the two are part of the Creative Media Unit of the DepEd Public Affairs Service. He said DepEd employees having a hand in the development of the book, although probably for free, is "something to note."

No hand in publication

During the hearing, Gutierrez inquired about the DepEd's involvement in the publication and reproduction of the book, which Vice President Duterte wants to be funded by P10 million under her office's proposed budget for 2025.

"We're not responsible in the production of this [Isang Kaibigan] book," Education Undersecretary Gina Gonong said in response to Gutierrez. "Wala pong role ang Department of Education sa development, reproduction, or printing of 'Isang Kaibigan' storybook."

The book — which tells a story of a parrot helping an owl after the owl's nest was destroyed by a typhoon — was already being used by learners in 2023, including in an Araw ng Pagbasa event in a public school in Quezon City, the DepEd official said.

"Iyong particular book po, nakita lang namin noong launch [noong November 2023]. But we know that she's (Vice President Duterte) going to read [it]. Kasi po yung program, na Araw ng Pagbasa, we do that yearly. And we invite reading ambassadors. So minsan mga kilalang mga tao, mga officials ng DepEd, nagbabasa po yan sa mga schools. And they can choose the storybook that they're going to read. So in this Araw ng Pagbasa in Quezon City School, ang binasa ni VP ay yung kanyang story," Gonong explained.

(We saw this particular book in November 2023. But we know Vice President was going to read it. We do the Araw ng Pagbasa program every year. And we invite reading ambassadors, like famous people or DepEd officials. They read in schools. And they can choose the storybook that they're going to read. So in this Araw ng Pagbasa in Quezon City School, the Vice President read her own story.)

Gonong also said the reading ambassadors have the discretion to pick a book that they want to read as long as the book is appropriate to the grade level of the learners.

Gutierrez, however, pointed out that the photos of the event showing learners holding a copy of the book give the impression that the DepEd was involved in its distribution.

Gonong responded by saying that DepEd's involvement was limited to the preparation of the distribution of the book for that particular event in Quezon City.

"Yes. There was some preparation regarding the event, Your Honor, but the distribution of textbooks wasn't done by the Department of Education. The printing and distribution wasn't done by DepEd," Gonong stressed.

Duterte served as DepEd secretary from July 2022 to July 19, 2024 when her resignation took effect. She was replaced by Angara. —KBK, GMA Integrated News