Jay Khonghun Asserts VP Sara Duterte Shouldn’t Blame House over OVP 2025 Budget
JAY KHONGHUN – The lawmaker said it is allegedly Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s responsibility if around 200 of the OVP staff will lose their jobs due to the budget of the office.
The House of Representatives has made a final decision on the budget that it wants to appropriate for the Office of the Vice President (OVP). The lower chamber of the Congress made a P1.2 billion cut from the proposed budget of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s office — P733 million from the P2 billion proposed budget.
The decision of the House of Representatives came after Duterte skipped several hearings wherein she was invited by the lower chamber so she can explain her side on the questions and issues. In one of the House budget hearing, Duterte refused to take an oath and left the inquiry early as well.
The Vice President skipping the House hearing several times sparked the speculations and rumors that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) may be defunded. To it, Duterte said that the OVP can continue its operation even without a budget.
According to the Vice President, they are just a small office and they can work around regardless of the amount that will be given to the office. She stressed that she has explained her side on the issues surrounding the OVP budget proposal and she leaves the decision to the House.
In the Senate, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte also reportedly did not submit budget documents thus, the Senate panel decided to adopt the P733-million budget that the House has appropriated for the OVP. However, recently, Vice Pres. Duterte claimed that around 200 OVP staff may lose their jobs due to the P733 million budget.
House good government and public accountability panel vice chairman Jay Khonghun reacted to the claim of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Based on a report on GMA News, he said it is the responsibility of Duterte if the OVP staff will lose their job. He stressed that the Vice President was given the chance to defend the budget proposal.
“Responsibility niya ‘yun. Dahil kung humarap siya sa Congress at ipinagtanggol niya ‘yung budget niya at jinustify niya ‘yung budget niya, hindi mawawalan ng trabaho ‘yung mga tao ngayon,” Khonghun said.
The lawmaker further expressed that, allegedly, the problem is that Vice Pres. Sara Duterte did not justify the budget proposal of her office and instead left it in the Congress. Based on the report, La Union Representative at Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V also said that the fate of the 200 OVP staff who may lose their job could have possibly changed if only Duterte attended the hearing.
“Baka nadagdagan pa [OVP budget],” Ortega said.
The House Quad Committee has invited the Vice President once again into an inquiry. However, according to Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, she will not attend the November 20 hearing on the Confidential Funds.