Rep. Marcoleta moves to terminate the House hearings on the budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
Shortly afterwards, House appropriations senior vice chairperson Stella Quimbo called a vote on the said motion.
Shortly afterwards, House appropriations senior vice chairperson Stella Quimbo called a vote on the said motion.
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00:00So, um, the Honorable Margarita, please repeat your inquiry.
00:07Yes, uh, in connection of the earlier parliamentary inquiry, Madam Chair, I have already related
00:18the value of tradition.
00:21Parliamentary procedures, Madam Chair, grow from or are enriched by traditions, experiences,
00:30and precedents collectively gathered by the House of Representatives over years, and the
00:37institution keeps them well.
00:41That is why from my entry in 2004 or the 13th Congress until today, I have observed the
00:48observance of that well-kept tradition.
00:54The two highest positions in government, namely the office of the President and the office
00:59of the Vice President, were duly accorded with respect and deference.
01:07I have observed that.
01:09That's why I have relayed to you earlier, in 2022, the Honorable Libanon, in voking
01:19courtesy, took him only 13 minutes to dispose the office of the Vice President.
01:25And that was quickly moved, quickly seconded by no less than our majority leader.
01:32That was in 2022.
01:34I'm not going by record, Madam Chair.
01:36In 2023, I said, no less than the presidential son, our own senior deputy majority leader
01:46stood up and said that in line with the time-honored tradition of according courtesy to the office
01:54of the Vice President, I move to terminate the budget briefing of the OVP.
02:02And I can recall the Honorable Castro strongly objected.
02:05No, Manuel.
02:06No, no, no.
02:08That's in 2023.
02:09This is by the record.
02:12And she objected, but her objections were rejected by the committee because the committee
02:19already terminated the proceedings.
02:22And she kept on requesting, Madam Chair, that she makes at least her manifestation.
02:28And she was unable to do that because the proceedings were terminated.
02:33So that, what I am saying, from 2004, when I entered these halls, these hallowed halls,
02:42and up until 2023, we have kept the tradition.
02:48In 2023, 22 minutes, 2022, 13 minutes, the budget was terminated earlier, and now we're
03:05about to quarrel again on the budget.
03:07My question now, because of what is happening now in the budget of the office of the Vice
03:15President, and despite her manifestation that she will no longer defend their budget
03:22because she forgot, or she forgot, I will forgo my opportunity to defend the budget
03:31of the OVP for 2025 by way of question and answer, and I will leave to the House of Representatives
03:39to decide such proposal as presented.
03:43We cannot even accept such kind of answer, Madam Chair.
03:48What do we need her to articulate for?
03:51So what we are talking about, is there no respect for that tradition?
03:56Like what I am saying, every time we will interpolate here, Madam Chair, because of
04:03that tradition, it's always the member of the minority who will start the interpolation
04:09because we have kept that tradition.
04:11So the question is, when we did that to the Vice President earlier, and now we're doing
04:19it now, are we now setting aside this tradition?
04:25That's number one question.
04:27Number two, is this committee authorized to set aside the tradition?
04:35Your Honor, short answer is no to both questions.
04:38Okay, if that is the answer, Madam Chair, and we are all bound to respect one tradition
04:44so sacred in our hearts, because we are called honorables in this House.
04:50We cannot be honorables if we cannot honor our own tradition.
04:54We are defined by what we believe as a tradition in this House.
04:58So if we are now all amenable that we have kept that tradition, no longer questions are
05:03being asked, then I will respectfully move, Madam Chair, to move to terminate the budget
05:10of the OVP for 2025.
05:12I object, Madam Chair.
05:14I object.
05:15Madam Chair, I object.
05:16If there's a motion to terminate the budget briefing of the OVP, but there is an objection,
05:26so we divide the House.
05:30The Chair has decided to divide the House, so those in favor of the motion, please raise
05:45your hand.
05:48Those in favor of the motion to terminate the budget briefing of the OVP, please raise
05:54your hand.
06:03Those who are not in favor of terminating, raise your hand.
06:09For non-tradition.
06:40Three in favor, 45 against.
06:43Three in favor, 45 against.
06:46The motion is lost.
06:53Madam Chair, I thought we had kept the tradition.
06:56The tradition is no longer ask any question.
06:59That was the tradition.
07:00So why are you voting against the motion?
07:04It's inconsistent with the tradition that we have already agreed to observe.
07:12Yes, Madam Chair.
07:15You mentioned earlier that we will keep up the tradition.
07:18You said no.
07:19Earlier.
07:20Earlier proceedings, I remind the members to please wait to be recognized before speaking.
07:27So the Chair now recognizes the budget sponsor, the Honorable Zia Adiong, to give a recap
07:33of what transpired in the last hearing.
07:36Madam Chair.
07:37Thank you, Madam Chair.