Philippines VP Sara Duterte ‘goes on offensive’ in budget hearing. Did it work?

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio was defiant while defending her office budget for next year, in a Tuesday hearing in the House of Representatives, refusing to answer most questions while accusing lawmakers of gathering evidence for an impeachment case against her.

Her combative attitude in the hearing signalled that Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, was ready to shed the softer image she had cultivated since becoming vice-president, in favour of the “tough, macho” style her family is famous for, analysts say.

During her introductory statement, Duterte-Carpio warned that she was privy to some lawmakers’ secrets but “as a friend, I will not violate the confidence of a few members of the House of Representatives who have either recorded conversations or took part in shared conversations regarding each impeachment proceedings against me”.

In the hearing, she read a reply from her mobile phone multiple times: “I will forgo the opportunity to defend the Office of the Vice-President 2025 Budget Proposal by question and answer, and I will leave it to the House of Representatives to decide on the proposal as presented.”

Duterte-Carpio was questioned on the alleged misuse of confidential funds used by her office in 2022. The funds were reportedly spent on various items, including rewards and supplies, but lacked proper documentation.

The vice-president has been in the spotlight since she resigned in June from President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s cabinet, turning the two families’ alliance into bitter rivalry as both sides seek to strengthen their coalitions ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Duterte-Carpio came to the House prepared for a “hostile crowd, so she went on the offensive.