A children’s book about friendship written by Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio triggered a very hostile exchange with an opposition senator, accusing her of misappropriating funds for wanting the state to pay for copies of the book.
Critics contend that the vice-president’s book – Isang Kaibigan, which means “one friend” – is a form of “political propaganda” and that Duterte-Carpio, daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, may be motivated by a need to strengthen her plummeting approval ratings as her family prepares to battle President Ferdinand Marcos, Jnr and his coalition in next year’s midterm elections following their own alliance’s bitter dissolution.
During a national budget hearing in the Senate on Tuesday, Senator Risa Hontiveros asked the vice-president about an allocation of 10 million pesos (US$177,000) from her office to print 200,000 copies of a children’s book she wrote in 2023.
Hontiveros described the request as “improper”, saying taxpayer money should not be used for a book that a public official wrote that would benefit her politically.
Hontiveros also suggested that since a large portion – 1.9 billion of the 2.037 billion pesos of the vice-president’s office budget – is meant for handing out socioeconomic aid, which other agencies were already doing, it would be better to reallocate those funds, so the vice-president can simply refer those in need to them.
Duterte-Carpio hit back, justifying running her own aid programme by saying that other agencies had rejected her funds because she was “a [political] enemy of the government” of President Marcos, Jnr.
The finance committee ultimately overruled Hontiveros and approved Duterte-Carpio’s budget without cuts. However, it will still have to be approved by the Senate and a bicameral conference committee, during which members of the Lower House – who have largely turned against the Duterte family – can still trim her budget.
The House is currently led by Speaker Martin Romualdez, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jnr’s cousin, whom Duterte-Carpio had publicly insulted last year by calling him a “tambaloslos” – a small dark male creature in local lore with a big mouth and male organ.
She also criticised Romualdez’s decision to amend the Philippine Constitution in order, she said, for him to become prime minister because he would never win a presidential election.
Former Congressman Barry Gutierrez noted that if Duterte-Carpio insists on the Office of the Vice-President printing her book, this could expose her potential graft charges.
A copy of the book, which Duterte-Carpio’s office provided to senators, showed that it was about an owl whose nest was destroyed during a storm, and all his fair weather friends ignored his pleas for help, except for the parrot who helped him rebuild.
But Gutierrez, spokesman for former vice-president Leni Robredo and who has taught criminal law at the University of the Philippines, pointed out that the last page of the book displaying a photo of Duterte-Carpio with the caption – “She is one true friend” – turned the book into a propaganda tool.
“Apart from the 10 million pesos for the book, she is also asking for nearly 800 million pesos for burial help, relief goods, and other forms of ayuda (patronage aid). This is the trapo (traditional politician) mindset at work – dispense government largesse and get votes,” Gutierrez said.
“The book, while ostensibly about friendship, is a story about a ‘friend’ who comes to the aid of another who loses everything in a storm. A not so subtle representation of the Duterte, ayuda-based, brand of politics,” Gutierrez pointed out, adding that Robredo did not ask the government for ayuda but raised the amount through private sector partnerships.
He said that Duterte-Carpio may have been prompted to do so by her declining popularity in the polls.
A manager of a printing house, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also indicated that the printing costs – at 50 pesos per piece with a print run of 200,000 copies for Duterte-Carpio’s asking budget of 10 million pesos – may be grossly overpriced.
The printer told This Week in Asia on Thursday that based on the book’s specifications, each copy could be printed for about 15 pesos per piece.
Duterte-Carpio’s spokesman Michael Poa, however, gave the assurance on Thursday that printing would be subject to public bidding, which could lower costs.
Senator Hontiveros told This Week in Asia that Duterte-Carpio could not simply reallocate any “savings” from the printing cost, but must first seek authorisation from the budget department.
Political analyst Ronald LLamas described her book as “clearly a [form of] political propaganda. The title of the children’s book is ‘One Friend’ and the ending is, that friend is VP Sara.”
“Her political base has been decimated, and her approval ratings have gone down dramatically, 19 per cent in private pollsters Social Weather Stations and Oculum and 15 per cent in Octa Research. She has to do something.”
Reports have also circulated on social media that the drawings in her book looked remarkably similar to a children’s book entitled Owly, written by Andy Runton.
Runton has not replied to This Week in Asia for comment regarding this issue.
On August 21, the vice-president issued a statement dismissing the plagiarism accusation, saying, “It’s so easy to write a short story based on your own experience; no need to copy.”
“Just wait for the next book I will be writing about the betrayal of one friend.”
She also revealed during a press conference that before the 2022 elections she was approached by Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and Imee Marcos who asked for her help. “They told me, we will not win if you don’t help us [get votes] in Mindanao and the Visayas.”
It was for this reason that she agreed to run as his running mate, she said.
