Vice President Sara Duterte holds her children's book Isang Kaibigan. Sara Duterte/Facebook

MANILA — The Department of Education (DepEd) had no role in the development and production of the story book “Isang Kaibigan” authored by Vice President Sara Duterte and launched when she was still DepEd chief, according to an official of the agency on Monday.

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During the House Committee on Appropriations’ deliberations on DepEd’s proposed 2025 budget, DepEd Undersecretary Gina Gonong told lawmakers that public funds were not used in the production of "Isang Kaibigan." 

While DepEd confirmed that the two reported illustrators of the book are job order workers of its Public Affairs Service, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said there is no record of official payment from DepEd to these two individuals for their reported participation in developing the book. 

“The two are employees of the Public Affairs Service Division of the department. But there is no payment made to them for whatever they did, so it’s either they made it gratis or for free or they were paid on the side, we don’t really know, because there is no record of official payment to them,” he explained. 

“Wala pong role ang Department of Education sa development, reproduction or printing ng Isang Kaibigan story book,” Gonong added.

Duterte’s book tells the story of an owl who was abandoned by almost all of his friends after a storm destroyed his home. When he grew lonely and hungry, a parrot offered to help him rebuild his nest and provided him shelter, showing that true friends do not leave each other in times of need.

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The book project was among those discussed during the Senate budget hearing when the Vice President accused Sen. Risa Hontiveros of "politicizing" her agency’s budget for 2025. The OVP was asking for P10 million for the printing of the copies of the book to be distributed among young learners.

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