Sara Duterte wants the Senate to pay for her defense team’s meals?

VEEP. Vice President Sara Duterte. Inday Sara Duterte Facebook page 'I find it highly improper kasi may opisina rin naman ng ating pangalawang Pangulo (because our Vice President has an office) and they can actually charge all those expenses to their office,' Deputy Speaker Janette Garin says Vice President Sara Duterte has a letter to the Senate. She’s apparently asking the upper legislative chamber to shoulder the food expenses of her lawyers defending her at her impeachment trial. Based on the July 7 letter addressed to Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian that has been making the rounds, the Vice President has three requests: Food and beverage for the defense team to be served in their designated holding room at the Senate. Due to security concerns and for assurance, the food and beverage shall be sourced and prepared by the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) accredited caterer. The Senate should shoulder the costs of food, beverage, and catering services for the defense team, support staff, and witnesses. To be fair, the Vice President explained that she was asking these arrangements “solely in connection” with her impeachment trial. But will the Senate allow it? Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, committee on accounts chairperson, confirmed to Rappler that the letter has been posted on the majority bloc’s group chat. But Lacson said he has reservations — he is expressing strong opposition to grant the request due to Duterte’s second and third requests. He said the Senate has its own accredited caterer that underwent a regular bidding process. “For us to accommodate OVP’s caterer and even shoulder the expenses incurred to feed VP Duterte’s defense team, support staff, and witness may be violative of the government procurement law,” he explained. “Further, the Senate still has existing substantial unspent appropriations for the impeachment trial which we can obligate until December 2026 under the continuing appropriations provision in the 2025 GAA (General Appropriations Act) — including meals to feed both the prosecution and defense teams, witnesses, senator-judges and all the support staff and other miscellaneous expenses in relation to the ongoing trial of the Vice President,” he added. Defense spokesperson and counsel Michael Poa said this is an OVP matter and the defense team has no participation in this. But he, however, confirmed that no requests have been granted so far. “Okay naman (They’re okay). But I don’t know, I don’t think it’s being supplied by the Senate,” Poa responded when asked by reporters about the defense team’s food. House shoulders own food Duterte is in the middle of her impeachment trial at the Senate. She has 16 defense lawyers led by Sheila Sison of the Fortun, Narvasa, and Salazar law firm. Members of the lower chamber serve as prosecutors in the trial due to allegations that include Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds, grave threats to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and family, and unexplained wealth. The House, for its part, finances the operating expenses of the prosecution panel. “I find it highly improper kasi may opisina rin naman ng ating pangalawang Pangulo (because our Vice President has an office) and they can actually charge all those expenses to their office,” said Deputy Speaker Janette Garin. “Well if it’s the prosecution or the defense providing for the catering and the food of the senator-judges, talagang bawal na bawal ‘yan (that’s really not allowed). But if it’s requesting the judges to provide for the food of the defense, medyo funny siya (it’s a bit funny),” she added. In reality, the House of Representatives is a much bigger and independent institution compared to the OVP. Its budget is also incomparable to that of Duterte’s office. For 2026, the lower chamber has a P27.7-billion budget, while the OVP was given a much smaller P889 million. At the end of the day, it boils down to the Senate, which is home to the judges conducting the trial. But the odds, at least for this request, may not be in Duterte’s favor. Remember, the sitting majority is not on her side. And wouldn’t it seem rather strange for the Senate to be shouldering expenses for someone being tried by senator-judges themselves? – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading