Vice President Sara Duterte and Sen. Hontiveros made headlines on Tuesday, August 20 over the proposed 10M budget for the publication of the self-authored children book by the VP titled “Isang Kaibigan” which sparked heated debate from netizens overnight.
Following the controversial budget hearing, netizens pointed out the uncanny similarities of an English book titled Owly: Just a little Blue on the VP’s proposed children’s book that was supposed to be distributed to children.
Both stories tackle the issue of friendship and that both main characters of each book experienced a typhoon but unlike the English version, VP Sara’s Isang Kaibigan has a simple narrative of friends helping friends in need. Whereas, Andy Runton’s Owly: Just a little Blue dives in the complexities of friendship and that not everyone will appreciate your help.
In the comment section in the Youtube channel of Manila Bulletin Online “’No need to copy’: VP Duterte denies her book ‘Isang Kaibigan’ plagiarized” A netizen pointed out an error in the first page of the book as it mentions a banahaw leaf which the concerned citizen corrected that banahaw is a mountain or a volcano and not a plant.
Various posts, opinions, and content were created, criticizing and assimilating the authenticity of the book. As people lined up to question the OVP’s proposed 10M budget for a 16 colored pages book—that only half of the pages containing the story.
Furthermore, the OVP released an official statement in her Facebook page denying the allegations.
“Napakadaling sumalat ng maikling kwento batay sa sariling karanasan, hindi na kailangan mangopya pa. Ang proyekto ay para mahikayat ang mga bata na mahalin ang pagbabasa at sumulat ng sarili nilang kwento” she said.
She pointed out that the problem wasn’t the book but the poor performance of children in reading and writing in school. She also added that she will write a new story that entails a betrayal from a friend.
Photo courtesy: FTTM