By Junex Doronio

CLAIMING THAT SHE UNDERSTANDS the outrage over the controversial P650 million for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) which she concurrently heads as Secretary, Vice President Sara Duterte noted that these “political challenges” are small compared to the economic challenges due to the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war and the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Deviating from her usual tough image, she has called for a halt to “nasty mudslinging and politicking” as the country faces tough economic times.

“Hinihikayat ko ang bawat isa sa inyo na tutukan ang paghahanda sa darating na panahon ng taghirap lalo na sa patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng pagkain at iba pang bilihin,” Duterte said in an apparent subtle jab at the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., of which she is a part.

Inday Sara — as she is fondly called by her supporters — appealed instead for “unity and cooperation” in facing challenges such as soaring oil and food prices.

“May oras para sa lahat at hindi ito ang panahon ng paninira at pamumulitika lalo na malayo pa ang susunod na eleksyon,” the Vice President said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Duterte’s latest appeal came on the heels of her controversial spending of P125 million confidential fund in just 11 days in 2022.

The House of Representatives led by her political archnemesis Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez decided to strip Duterte’s CIF in 2024 and realign the funds to security agencies dealing with the West Philippine Sea concerns. (ai/mnm)

Image Courtesy of Inday Sara Duterte Official Facebook Account

By Junex Doronio

SETTING ASIDE THEIR POLITICAL COLORS, various lawmakers from the two chambers of Congress led by House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri have agreed to reallocate confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) to agencies in charge of intelligence and surveillance activities in the face of continuing incursions of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea.

This unprecedented move, in effect, nipped in the bud, so to speak, future requests for CIF by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) which has maintained that the issue of its P125-million CIF spent in only 11 days in 2022 would be answered when its proposed P2.3-billion budget for 2024 is discussed in the House plenary.

“Recognizing the rising security threats in the West Philippine Sea and the need to secure top officials, these agencies are better positioned to counteract security threats, protect our territorial waters, and secure the rights and access of Filipino fishermen to traditional fishing grounds,” the congressmen said on Wednesday in a joint statement.

They said beneficiaries of this reallocation include the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), the National Security Council (NSC), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Among those who signed the joint statement were Representatives Michael John Duavit (1st District, Rizal), Johnny Pimentel (2nd District, Surigao del Sur), Eleandro Mendoza (Romblon), Jose Aquino (1st District, Agusan del Norte), Angelica Co (BHW party-list) and LRay Villafuerte (2nd District, Camarines Sur).

On behalf of the upper house, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri declared that they also intend to reallocate unnecessary funds in certain agencies to the intelligence agencies, the PCG, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

“We have agreed in the Senate to do the same. We also will [be] reallocating funds that we feel are not necessary for the use of certain agencies and allocate them to our Intelligence Community as well as our Coast Guard and AFP,” Zubiri said in a Viber message to reporters on Wednesday.

It was administration ally Marikina City Rep. Stella Quimbo who revealed that the P125-million OVP confidential funds were spent in only 11 days.

Ironically, Quimbo has been defending the OVP’s confidential funds, but now she was speaking on behalf of the Commission on Audit (COA) during the plenary deliberation on the proposed 2024 budget.

“What can VP Sara (Duterte) show for it? Nag-mass hiring ba ang OVP ng libo-libong informant sa loob lang ng 11 na araw? Nagpatayo ba sila ng daan-daang safehouse sa loob lamang ng 11 na araw?” opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros quipped.

“Babalik lang tayo sa paulit-ulit na tanong: Saan niyo dinala ang pera? Naghihintay ng resibo ang buong Pilipinas,” she said. (ai/mnm)

Image Courtesy of Inday Sara Duterte Official Facebook Account

By Junex Doronio

LIKE MAGIC, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) spent its 2022 confidential funds amounting to P125 million in just 11 days.

This was revealed on Monday by Marikina City Rep. Stella Quimbo who became an unexpected and instant ally of Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas who — along with her fellow lawmakers from the so-called Makabayan bloc — thought the OVP confidential funds were spent in 19 days.

“Ang totoo po ay nagulat din po ako nung mabasa ko ang mga balita na tila nagastos po sa loob ng 19 days [ang CF]… Tinanong ko po ang COA (Commission on Audit) at tiningnan ko po ang mga iba’t ibang mga reports pero hindi po ito nagastos sa loob ng 19 days kung hindi 11 days po,” Quimbo said.

Ironically, Quimbo has been defending the OVP’s confidential funds, but now she was speaking on behalf of the Commission on Audit (COA) during the plenary deliberation on the proposed 2024 budget.

The Marikina City solon said the COA has asked the OVP to further explain and provide more documents to support its use of the P125-million confidential funds in 2022.

Quimbo further stated that the OVP submitted its liquidation report back in January 2023 and the COA issued an audit observation memorandum in September for the OVP to explain.

With the anti-communist stance of VP Duterte and the penchant to red-tag government critics, Brosas appeared more apprehensive.

“Eleven days, ang hirap isipin kasi parang kung surveillance yan, ilang reward payment po yan na aabot ng P11 million per day,” she blurted out. (ai/mnm)

By: Junex Doronio

ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS, as the saying goes, and this early the body language of Vice President Sara Duterte and presidential sister Senator Imee Marcos is subtly sending a message that they are a tandem to beat in 2028.

If this happens, some political observers predicted a “very exciting” three-way presidential contest in 2028 in the probable teams of Inday Sara Duterte – Manang Imee Marcos, Speaker Martin Romualdez – ACT-CIS party list Rep. Erwin Tulfo, and Sen. Risa Hontiveros – PNoy political adviser Ronald Llamas.

Last September 17, VP Sara and Sen. Imee made their presence felt in vote-rich Cebu province and Zamboanga provinces.

The journey of the so-called “Alpha Female Duo” began with their attending the Araw ng Zamboanga del Sur followed by the inauguration of a new commercial ship in Cebu City.

It can be noted that photos of Duterte and Marcos have been shared on their social media pages.

In an Instagram post, Sen. Imee couldn’t help but declare her joy at spending the day with VP Sara.

“Masaya akong nakasama muli si VP Inday Sara Duterte para sa ika-71 Araw ng Zamboanga del Sur ngayong Linggo, September 17. Maligayang pagdiriwang sa lahat ng taga-Zamboanga del Sur!” Marcos wrote on Instagram.

She added: “Bukod sa pagdalo sa Araw ng Zamboanga del Sur at Megayon Festival, nakasama ko rin si VP Inday Sara Duterte sa blessing at inaugurasyon ng bagong RoRo na MV Lite CAT 2 ng Sunline Shipping Corporation noong Linggo, September 17 sa Cebu City.”

Inday Sara also posted on her Facebook her own account of their visit to the two provinces.

She said that in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur, she tackled various programs of the Office of the Vice President such as the Medical and Burial Assistance and PagbaBAGo: A Million Bags and Trees Program. (ai/mnm)

Image Courtesy of: Inday Sara Duterte (Facebook)

By: Junex Doronio

APPARENTLY AFFECTED by the controversy generated by the P150-million confidential and intelligence fund (CIF) for the Department of Education (DepEd) where she also sits as concurrent head, Vice President Sara Duterte’s popularity as Education Secretary dipped from 66 percent in the second quarter to 60 percent in the third quarter.

This was revealed on Friday by
PUBLiCUS Asia Inc. which said the P150-million CIF for DepEd “is now at the forefront as the most pressing issue hurting her (VP Duterte} overall performance.”

Seemingly, the public being surveyed was not convinced by Duterte’s justification of her CIF that it’s for the DepEd’s anti-insurgency efforts.

“Education is intertwined with national security. It’s important for us to mold children who are patriotic, who will love our country and defend our country,” Duterte said.

The Vice President — eldest daughter of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte noticeably uses her father’s surname instead of her marital name Carpio — is also the co-vice chairman of the government’s anti-communist insurgency task force, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

The elder Duterte once vowed to wipe out the communist insurgency within his six-year-term but failed just like his anti-drug campaign.

PUBLiCUS Asia Inc. claimed that the noncommissioned survey was conducted from September 7 to September 12. Its respondents were randomly drawn from the market research panel of over 200,000 Filipinos maintained by the Singapore office of PureSpectrum, a US-based panel marketplace.

It added that the respondents were spread across five geographical areas — National Capital Region, North Central Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

This latest development was reminiscent of former Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay whose popularity declined due to graft charges and eventually lost when he ran for president in 2016.