Marcoleta cites 'tradition' to terminate budget hearing of Duterte's office; gets 3-45 vote
SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta on Sept. 10 moved to terminate the House of Representatives budget hearing of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), citing "tradition" and "respect." However, his motion was denied with 3 to 45 votes, leading to its suspension.
Vice President Sara Duterte was a no-show during the second round of the hearing on her proposed 2025 budget.
Instead, Duterte's office sent a letter to House Speaker Martin Romualdez and House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Elizaldy Co, saying they've already submitted the "necessary documentation," including "a detailed presentation on the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025."
“I have also articulated my position on the issues outlined in my opening statement during the previous hearing on 27 August 2024," Duterte said. "We defer entirely to the discretion and judgment of the committee regarding our budget proposal for the upcoming year."
Marcoleta told Committee of Appropriations Vice Chairperson Stella Quimbo that when he became a lawmaker in 2004, there was an "observance of the well-kept tradition" of quickly granting the Office of the President and the OVP their proposed budgets.
"I have already related the value of tradition," Marcoleta said. "Parliamentary procedures, madame chair [Quimbo], grow from or are enriched by traditions, experiences, and precedents collectively gathered by the House of Representatives over years."
"The two highest positions in government... were duly accorded with respect and deference. I observed that," he said.
'Wala na po ba 'yung respeto sa tradisyon?'
Marcoleta also cited the situation in 2022 when the OVP's budget was approved in 13 minutes with no questions asked. This "tradition" continued until 2023.
"In line with the time-honored tradition of according courtesy to the Office of the Vice President, I move to terminate (its) budget briefing," he said.
Marcoleta then called out the questioning that Duterte had been getting for her budget proposal. She is seeking a P2.037-billion budget for 2025. Her office has a P1.885-billion budget for 2024.
"Ngayon po, kung ano-ano nang mga tanong ang ginawa," Marcoleta said. "Madame Chair, what do we need her to articulate for? Wala na po ba 'yung respeto sa tradisyon na 'yun?"
He also asked whether the Committee on Appropriations is "authorized to set aside the tradition."
Quimbo said no, then Marcoleta said he was moving to terminate the budget hearing of the OVP.
Quimbo then called for a show of hands to determine whether Marcoleta's motion would be granted.
After a brief silence, a House member said three people raised their hands. Quimbo then asked who was not in favor of Marcoleta's motion, and dozens of lawmakers raised their hands. There were a total of 45 of them.
"Madame Chair, I thought we have kept the tradition?" Marcoleta said. "Why are we voting against the motion?"
Quimbo was trying to explain that the majority is respected, but Marcoleta kept cutting her off. She then reminded the lawmakers to wait for their turn to be recognized before speaking.
Duterte's first budget proposal hearing
During her budget proposal's first hearing, Duterte refused to answer questions regarding her expenses, particularly the confidential funds worth P775 million for the OVP and the Department of Education, her former agency, from 2022 to 2023.
Duterte asked ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, who started the discussion on the confidential funds, why she was allowed to have a seat in the chamber when she was “convicted of child abuse.”
Quimbo asked Duterte to “act in a respectful manner,” but the latter argued she was being “crucified” by the panel.
The vice president then asked to change Quimbo as the presiding officer, but the latter told Duterte she had no power to choose which House member should lead the budget hearing.
Duterte also had a heated exchange with Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who questioned why she needed P10 million for the distribution of the children's book she had authored.
In a taped interview sent to the media on Sept. 10, Duterte claimed that the budget hearings are being used to launch political attacks against her.
Without expounding, she also claimed that only two people are controlling the national budget.
Duterte also dismissed criticisms of her being a "spoiled brat."
