Senator Risa Hontiveros holds VP Sara’s ‘Isang Kaibigan’ book during the Kapihan sa Senado forum on Wednesday, in Pasay City. Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net
Vice President Sara Duterte’s children’s book was envisioned to encourage the youth to read—not to further her political ambitions, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) said on Wednesday, fielding criticism about her purported use of public funds for self-promotion.
A day after Duterte was questioned about a P10-million allocation in the OVP’s 2025 budget request for the printing of the storybook titled “Isang Kaibigan (A Friend),” OVP spokesperson Michael Poa denied that it was intended to be a campaign material for the 2028 presidential elections.
“The book was made in 2023, and anything that has to do with the elections is far from the Vice President’s mind,” Poa told the Inquirer by phone.
According to the OVP spokesperson, the office plans to print some 200,000 copies of the book for distribution nationwide.
“Let’s peg it at P50 [per book] and the budget will be used for the printing. I’d like to emphasize that this will go through bidding procedures under the procurement law,” Poa said.
This means that the OVP will have printing companies bid for the project and during the process, may even secure a lower price, he said.
During a Senate budget hearing on Wednesday, Duterte tussled with Sen. Risa Hontiveros regarding the allocation, as the former refused to answer the latter’s questions and accused the senator of “politicizing” her office’s budget request.
Bundled items
The book will be bundled together with other items in “loot bags” for the “Pagbabago Campaign, A Million Learners and Trees” program. The bags are to be distributed to 200,000 learners, Poa said.
Each bag will also contain a raincoat, school supplies, including pens, pencils, sharpeners and notebooks, and a dental hygiene kit that includes a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste.“Pagbabago” is among Duterte’s projects in the OVP, which is requesting P100 million in funding for the entire program, including the P10 million for the printing of Duterte’s book.
Poa noted that “Isang Kaibigan” was first launched at Esteban Abada Elementary School in Quezon City in November 2023.
No government funds were used for the publication of the book, he said.
But Hontiveros stood firm that it was “improper” of Duterte to spend P10 million in public funds to publish her own book.
“Obviously, the purpose is to introduce herself to children in hard-to-reach areas,” the senator said a day after she and Duterte had a barbed exchange at the Senate.
“As for the P10-million (budget) item for the book, I think in principle (it’s an) improper request because if it was indeed (Duterte) who wrote that book, government funds should not be used for its distribution,” she said at the Kapihan sa Senado news forum.
Combative stance
More than that, Duterte’s demeanor during the Senate hearing was “really very inappropriate,” Hontiveros said.“I was startled physically,” she said of Duterte’s combative stance during her questioning. “My question [was] very fair.”
The Senate leadership defended Hontiveros, with Senate President Francis Escudero pointing out that their colleague had raised “valid questions” about the OVP’s spending plan.
“I would like to think that the Senate was merely performing its role and will continue to perform its role through our individual members,” he told reporters.
Sen. Grace Poe, who presided over the OVP’s budget hearing as chair of the Senate finance committee, agreed that it was Hontiveros’ duty as a senator to dissect the planned expenses of every government office.
According to her, Hontiveros’ question was “well within the lines of the hearing’s agenda.”
“No line item in the budget documents should be above scrutiny and questioning,” Poe stressed.
Read-along sessions
In the Inquirer interview, Poa said Duterte intended to have “read-along” sessions with students once the books were ready for distribution.
The book, a soft copy of which was obtained by the Inquirer, tells of an unlikely friendship between an owl and a parrot, who helps the former rebuild his nest damaged by a storm.
The author’s page shows a portrait of Duterte describing her current and former positions in the government. “She is a true friend,” the last line goes.
Duterte’s book immediately drew backlash on social media following her testy exchange with Hontiveros, with some caricaturing it and others accusing her of early campaigning for the 2028 polls.
But Poa, echoing his superior’s statement, said such talk was premature.
“The thrust of the book is to encourage reading to our youth and that is the bigger issue here,” he said.
The book is also not for sale and will be distributed for free, according to Poa.
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“You cannot buy this book. It is not for sale and the budget we are seeking will be for printing alone, let me clarify it,” he said.