Lawmakers Hit Back: Congress Slashes OVP’s 2026 Budget After VP Sara Duterte Skips Hearings
SARA DUTERTE – The House of Representatives has sent a powerful message to Vice President Sara Duterte after lawmakers voted to slash the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) 2026 budget by ₱156 million due to her repeated absence from budget hearings.
The House of Representatives has reduced the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed 2026 budget from ₱889.2 million to ₱733.2 million, citing Vice President Sara Duterte’s repeated absence during the budget hearings. Lawmakers described her continued refusal to attend the deliberations as a sign of “disrespect” toward the chamber.
The approved amount matches the OVP’s 2025 budget, reflecting a 17.5 percent or ₱156-million cut from the initial proposal. The reduction was introduced during the period of amendments for the proposed ₱6.793-trillion national budget for 2026. House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos supported the motion raised by Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima of the ML party-list to revert the OVP’s budget to its previous level.
De Lima emphasized that the decision was rooted in accountability, not animosity. “Every peso in this budget is the people’s money. And when we demand accountability, we do so not out of hostility, but out of duty – duty to the Constitution, duty to the people and duty to the truth,” she stated.
She also expressed disappointment over Duterte’s refusal to appear before the House, interpreting it as an affront to Congress. “Let me then again put this on record: VP Sara Duterte’s repeated refusal to face this chamber is an insult. It spits on the duty of accountability, while she clings to millions in public funds she refuses to explain,” De Lima said.
The Vice President, who also serves as Education Secretary, has been criticized in past hearings for not personally defending the budgets of both the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd), instead sending representatives to speak on her behalf.
Despite the tension, the House proceeded to approve the proposed ₱6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 on second reading. The chamber’s move to slash the OVP’s allocation underscored lawmakers’ call for transparency and responsibility from all public officials, especially those handling large amounts of taxpayer funds.
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