Isang Kaibigan
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About
Isang Kaibigan (English: "One friend" or "A friend") is a Filipino-language children's book written by Sara Duterte, the incumbent Vice President of the Philippines, and illustrated by Janina Simbillo and Joseph Caligner.[1]
Consisting of 16 pages, it is about an owl ("kuwago") named Wago and a parrot ("loro") named Loro, and how Loro stuck by Wago's side to rebuild his home after a storm even after Wago's other friends abandoned him. The story shows how a true friend never leaves a friend during times of need. On the last page of the book is the author page, showing Duterte's vice presidential portrait and a list of her government positions; the last sentence reads: "Siya ay isang tunay na kaibigan" (English: "She is a true friend").[1]
After a heated exchange with a senator during a budget hearing for her office on August 20, 2024, Vice President Duterte was mocked online for her blatant attempt to use her elected office to promote her own book, while Isang Kaibigan itself was criticized for containing grammatical errors and factual inaccuracies, with its cover being parodied by numerous Filipinos online.
Origin
Isang Kaibigan was unveiled by Vice President Sara Duterte for the Araw ng Pagbasa ("Day of Reading") celebration of the Department of Education (of which she was secretary) in Quezon City on November 21, 2023.[2]
On August 20, 2024, during a Senate budget hearing for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), there was a heated exchange between Duterte and opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros regarding the ₱10 million requested by the OVP for the publication and distribution of the book Isang Kaibigan. In the exchange, Duterte accused Hontiveros of politicizing the budget hearing and went into non sequiturs regarding Hontiveros' question asking what is contained in the book. As a result, Hontiveros answered in reply: "Budget hearing po ito [This is a budget hearing]. It's not about you."[3]
Spread
After the budget hearing, the heated exchange between the vice president and the senator became viral, which called the attention of Filipinos to the book in question. Filipinos quickly mocked Duterte as "Madumb" and poked fun at her work with various parodies on Facebook and X, with many pointing out the irony of Duterte writing a book about friendship when there was a time she punched a sheriff out of anger as Davao City mayor in 2011.[4][5][6] By the evening of August 20, political cartoonist Tarantadong Kalbo (English: Bald-headed good-for-nothing) posted a parody of Isang Kaibigan's cover to his Facebook page.[7]
Various brands on Facebook poked fun at the book by referencing it in their ads.[8] On August 22, Scholastic Philippines promoted on its Facebook page the Owly series of children's books by Andy Runton,[9] in apparent reference to the allegations that Duterte could have plagiarized the series in writing Isang Kaibigan,[10] which she denied.[11] On the same day, literature professor Jayson Petras of the University of the Philippines criticized the book's grammatical errors and factual inconsistencies.[12] Later that day, Hogwarts MEMES posted an imitation of the book's author page on Facebook that replaces Duterte with fictional character Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter franchise, alongside the caption: "Kilalanin po natin ang ating kaibigan" (English: "Let us get to know our friend").[13]
External references
[1] Rappler – What’s inside Sara Duterte’s ‘Isang Kaibigan’ book? / Posted on 8-21-2024
[2] GMA News Online – VP Sara launches own children's book about friendship / Posted on 11-21-2023
[3] Risa Hontiveros on Facebook – Budget hearing po ito. It's not about you. / Posted on 8-21-2024
[4] Rappler – ‘Iyaking Kaibigan’? [Crybaby friend?] Filipinos online poke fun at Sara Duterte’s book / Posted on 8-21/2024
[5] parkjayhyo_ on Twitter – The audacity of DDS trolls to call FVP Leni madumb and this is how VP Sara answers questions. / Posted on 8-20-2024
[6] Romel Amboy on Twitter – “Si Inday Sara Duterte ay isang tunay na kaibigan” / Posted on 8-21-2024
[7] Tarantadong Kalbo on Facebook – 🦉🦜 / Posted on 8-20-2024
[8] Rappler – LIST: Brands that poked ‘friendly’ fun at Sara Duterte’s book / Posted on 8-24-2024
[9] Scholastic Philippines on Facebook – Introduce your young readers to the world of graphic novels with this charming series. / Posted on 8-22-2024
[10] Rappler – Did ‘Owly: Just a Little Blue’ inspire Sara Duterte’s ‘Isang Kaibigan’ book? / Posted on 8-21-2024
[11] ABS-CBN News – VP Duterte denies her children’s book was copied from US author / Posted on 8-22-2024
[12] The Philippine Star – UP professor notes errors in VP Sara’s ‘Isang Kaibigan’ / Posted on 8-25-2024
[13] Hogwarts MEMES on Facebook – Kilalanin po natin ang ating kaibigan. / Posted on 8-22-2024
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