Sara Duterte addresses plagiarism accusations surrounding her children's book ‘Isang Kaibigan’
Vice President Sara Duterte has addressed the claims that her book Isang Kaibigan was plagiarized.
In a statement released late Wednesday, Aug. 21, the country’s second top official 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, 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.
Isang Kaibigan became a hot topic on social media after Internet users pointed out the similarities it shares with 2005 book series Owly, which was written and illustrated by American writer and artist Andy Runton.
Owly is a series of graphic novels that center on an owl named Owly whose goal is to do good for others and make friends. Despite encountering problems along the way, he manages to overcome them in the end, with his faith in the goodness in the world never wavering. Other characters in the books include the clever worm, Wormy, and the gluttonous but good hearted chipmunk, Scampy.
Isang Kaibigan likewise revolves around an owl named Kwago, who gets into a predicament after his nest and all of his valuables were 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 were 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 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.
Duterte launched the book at the Esteban Abada Elementary School in Quezon City in November 2023, where she read it to Grade 3 students.