VP Sara won't resign: I answer to 32 million

Vice President Sara Duterte will not resign from her post as the country's second highest elected official amid calls for her to do so after she skipped deliberations in the House of Representatives on the proposed P2-billion budget in 2025 of the Office of the Vice President.

“Hindi ako aalis dito dahil inilagay ako ng mga tao dito [I will not be leaving because the people put me here] believing that I will work for the country. That is what we did. We worked,” Duterte told members of the media.

House Assistant Majority Leader Jil Bongalon on Tuesday criticized Duterte for not attending the plenary debates for the OVP’s proposed outlay for 2025.

"Kung hindi na po siya interesado sa kanya pong duties and functions as the vice president, we can ask the vice president to step down," House Assistant Majority Leader Jil Bongalon said.

(If she is not interested in fulfilling her duties and functions as the vice president, then we can ask her to step down.)

House Deputy Speaker Jayjay Suarez of Quezon said Duterte's absences in the budget hearings ran contrary to her mandate. 

Duterte, in response, said that she did not want to respond to the younger lawmakers in the House.

“Hindi naman kasi ako sasagot sa young guns dahil kailangan ko sumagot sa 32 million na bumoto sa akin, hindi sa isa or dalawa na tao,” Duterte said.

(I'm not going to answer to the young guns because I have to answer to the 32 million who voted for me, not to one or two people.)

Calaguas

Duterte said she was in Calaguas Island on Monday, Sept. 23, when the House of Representatives scheduled the plenary deliberations into the OVP's 2025 budget.

The Vice President and any of her staff did not attend the deliberations, and instead deferred entirely to the discretion of the House her office's proposed budget next year.

In a letter addressed to Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Adiong, the designated sponsor of the OVP's proposed P2-billion budget for 2025 in the House plenary, Duterte said the OVP has duly submitted all the required documents to the House committee on appropriations regarding its budget request.

However, photos of Duterte circulated on social media that day where she was seen on a beach, gaining various reactions from netizens.

The Vice President, in response, said she was only visiting island barangays to know about the problems of the residents.

"Nabasa ko naman 'yung report ng Philippine National Police. Accurate naman, tama 'yun lahat ang report nila. 6.32 [a.m.] was it, na umalis ako doon sa Calaguas…nang Monday, yes," she told reporters.

(I read the report of the Philippine National Police. It's accurate, their report was correct. It was 6:32 a.m. when I left Calaguas on Monday, yes.)

"Ang budget hearing started at 10 a.m. So tama rin ako. Walang budget hearing na nangyayari at 6:32 a.m. Walang congressman na gumigising at 6:32 a.m. para magtrabaho. Ang gumagawa lang ng ganyan ang mga executives na hindi natutulog para magtrabaho," she added.

(The budget hearing started at 10 a.m. So I was right, too. No budget hearing happens at 6:32 a.m. No congressman wakes up at 6:32 a.m. to work. The only people who do that are executives who don’t sleep in order to work.)

By the time the hearing started at 10 a.m., Duterte said that she was roaming around Vinzons in Camarines Norte.

OVP budget

Despite skipping the House plenary deliberations on the OVP's 2025 budget, Duterte said that she would attend the plenary session at the Senate.

She also said that she is no longer expecting the OVP's proposed budget to remain the same, adding that they will just work around any budget given to them.

"Sa P700 million, we will see kung ano 'yung naiwan and then we will work around that budget of the Office of the Vice President. Pero definitely, tuloy pa rin ang trabaho anuman ang budget," she said.

(With the P700 million, we will see what will be left and then we will work around that budget of the Office of the Vice President. But definitely, the work will continue regardless of the budget.)

"Pero wala na kaming expectation na mahabol pa 'yan. Kasi nga, sinabi ko, doon sa interview ko, pagdating sa bicam, kung saan nandoon na 'yung dalawa—the Senate and the House of Representatives—wala ding nasusunod doon except si [Ako Bicol party-list Representative] Zaldy Co at si [Speaker] Martin Romualdez,” she said.

(But we no longer expect to reach that. Because, as I said earlier, when it comes to the bicam, composed of the Senate and the House, only Representative Zaldy Co and Speaker Martin Romualdez are being heard.)

Duterte earlier alleged that Romualdez and Co–who is also the House appropriations committee chair—have been "controlling" the national budget allocations.

The House appropriations panel has recommended a P1.29-billion cut on the OVP's budget next year, reducing it from P2 billion to P733,198 million. — NB/ VDV, GMA Integrated News