OVP Defends Sara Duterte’s Controversial Book: “Maganda naman ang hangarin”

Proposed Budget for OVP Includes P10 Million for Distribution of Sara Duterte’s Book

OVP – The Office of the Vice President defended the controversial book of VP Sara Duterte entitled “Isang Kaibigan”.

The budget of the different offices and departments in the government goes through the checking of several state bodies. The Senate is one of those that discussed the budget proposals in the pursuit of protecting the public funds.

However, recently, in a Senate finance committee hearing on the proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President for 2025, there was a heated exchange of statements between Vice Pres. Sara Duterte and Senator Risa Hontiveros.

The heated arguments came after Hontiveros noticed the similarity of the assistance programs of the OVP with those of the other government agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development or the DSWD and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). The Senator said she will make a motion to re-allocate the said assistance programs budget to other relevant agencies.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros also raised a question on Vice Pres. Sara Duterte allotting P10 million for the book she authored. The Vice President snubbed the question of the Senator and accused her of politicizing.

According to Vice Pres. Duterte, the issue is allegedly about her name on the book which will be distributed to learners who have parents who can vote. Sen. Hontiveros stressed that they are in an inquiry as they are talking about the money of the Filipino people.

Recently, the OVP defended the book of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte entitled Isang Kaibigan. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Atty. Michael Wesley Poa, the spokesperson of the Office of the Vice President, stressed that the publishing of the book comes with the good intention as there is a need to improve the reading skills of the learners.

“Maganda naman ang hangarin ng libro…We need to improve ‘yung reading ng learners,” Poa said.

According to the spokesperson of the OVP, it was last November when the book was launched as a learning tool in teaching students how to read. Based on the report, the lawyer also revealed that it was the material used by Duterte which she read to the students when she was visiting schools as the secretary of the Department of Education.

Vice Pres. Sara Duterte resigned as DepEd secretary more than a month ago. According to her, there is a mixture of personal and work reasons behind her decision to leave the helm of the education department and the cabinet of Pres. Bongbong Marcos.