Vice Pres. Sara Duterte Reacts To P733 Million Budget for OVP Approved by the House
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President assured that the work in her office will continue regardless of the budget that the government will give.
The budget proposal of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for 2025 did not only meet the scrutiny of the Senate and the House of Representatives. In several instances, Vice Pres. Duterte was also involved in an exchange of heated arguments with the Senate and the House members.
Duterte’s office requested for a P2 billion budget for 2025 according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The budget department stressed that the proposal contains zero confidential funds.
Included in the P2 billion budget proposal of the Office of the Vice President is the P10 million budget allotted for the distribution of the book authored by Duterte. However, Vice Pres. Duterte and Senator Risa Hontiveros were in a spar after the lawmaker asked about the book.
At the deliberation of the 2025 budget proposal of the OVP at the House of Representatives, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte also got involved in an exchange of heated arguments with some of the House members. The deliberation was moved but the Vice President skipped the hearing.
After snubbing the House inquiry, there were talks that Vice Pres. Duterte’s office may be defunded. She refused to attend several next hearings set by the lower chamber.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte previously said that she is leaving the decision to the House of Representatives regarding the 2025 budget of her office. Amid a P2 billion budget request for 2025, the Vice President stressed that the OVP can operate even without a budget saying they are a small office.
Recently, the lower chamber of the Congress has decided and approved a P733 million budget for the office of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte in 2025. It is P1.2 billion lower compared with the fund requested by the OVP.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte reacted to the approved budget of the lower chamber of the Congress for the OVP. Based on a report on GMA News Online, the Vice President assured that the OVP will continue its work regardless of the amount of the budget that will be given.
“Sa P700 million, we will see kung ano ‘yung naiwan and then we will work around that budget of the Office of the Vice President. Pero definitely, tuloy pa rin ang trabaho anuman ang budget,” she said.
Based on the report, Vice Pres. Duterte also expressed her belief even if the bicam is composed of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, only two (2) people allegedly control the budget. The Vice President accused Ako Bicol party-list Representative Zaldy Co and House speaker Martin Romualdez as the ones who allegedly control the budget.
