'Owly' books out of stock in PH amid VP Sara Duterte's children's book controversy
Owly, a graphic novel series that social media users say shares similarities with Vice President Sara Duterte's controversial Isang Kaibigan children’s book, is currently sold out in the Philippines.
Book publishing and distribution company Scholastic Philippines announced on Thursday, Aug. 22 that the Owly book series is currently out of stock “due to a surge in online orders.”
“We will restock soon and announce its availability,” they added.
This comes a day after their viral post introducing the book series amid the alleged plagiarism of VP Duterte for her book, Isang Kaibigan that she authored.
When the contents of her book were made public on Aug. 21, social media users pointed out its similarities to the 2004 series Owly, specifically the book Just a Little Blue, which was written and illustrated by American writer and artist Andy Runton, sparking allegations that Duterte committed plagiarism.
For her part, Duterte refuted the allegations and stressed that the short story was based on her personal experience. “Napakadaling sumulat ng maikling kwento batay sa sariling karanasan, hindi na kailangang mangopya pa,” she said in a statement released late Aug. 21, adding that it was launched to instill the love of reading in children and encourage them to write their own stories.
“Hindi ang libro ang problema ng bayan kundi ang kahinaan sa pagbabasa ng ating kabataan,” she continued.
Duterte also hinted at a second book following the release of Isang Kaibigan. “Abangan ninyo ang susunod kong isusulat na libro tungkol sa pagtataksil ng isang kaibigan,” she said.
Owly follows two best friends, the titular owl and Wormy, and their days filled with adventures. One day, they discover a bluebird family living in a damaged tree and try to help build the birds a new home. But when Owly and Wormy share their gift, the birds don't warmly receive their new home. With a storm coming, the duo tries to get the bird family to safety before it's too late.
Isang Kaibigan likewise revolves around an owl named Kwago, who gets into a predicament after his nest and all of his valuables are destroyed by a raging typhoon. Despite being friendly with other birds and welcoming them to his home, nobody came to help him during this time of need. However, his cries for help are eventually answered when a parrot named Loro offers to let him stay at his home while he helps him rebuild his nest.
The plagiarism accusations came after its contents were unveiled to the public on Wednesday, Aug. 21. A day prior, it became the subject of a heated exchange between Duterte and Sen. Risa Hontiveros at the Senate finance subcommittee hearing as the former proposed a P10 million allocation for its distribution along with school supplies to one million students as part of the OVP's Pagbabago campaign for 2025.
When asked for more details about the book, Duterte initially refused to answer the lawmaker and instead claimed that Hontiveros is "politicizing the budget of the government." Hontiveros contended that what Duterte said had nothing to do with her question, stressing that political speeches are separate from budget debates, before asking once more how many of Isang Kaibigan books will be distributed and its contents.
“The book is not for sale, we only pay for the publication of the book," Duterte clarified. She added that the book was about friendship.
Duterte launched the book at the Esteban Abada Elementary School in Quezon City in November 2023, where she read it to Grade 3 students.