ML Rep. Leila de Lima, Other House Members Disappointed over VP Sara Duterte’s Absence during Plenary Deliberations
LEILA DE LIMA – The Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Representative proposed cut on the proposed budget of Vice President Sara Duterte’s office.
The Senate and the House of Representatives recently held the deliberations of the proposed budget of the different offices and agencies under the government. Recently, the House held the plenary deliberations of the proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President for 2026.
The OVP is asking for a P902.9 million budget for 2026. However, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte skipped the House plenary deliberations of the proposed budget of her office after her conditions were not met. According to the lower chamber, the Vice President wanted the House to demand the attendance of Pres. Bongbong Marcos to the plenary deliberations of his office’s proposed budget for next year.
Furthermore, according to the House, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte wants the lifting of the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) on the following personnel of the OVP:
- OVP Chief-of-Staff Zuleika T. Lopez
- Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio
- Director, Administrative and Financial Services Office Rosalynne Sanchez
- Director, Strategy Management Office Sunshine Charry Fajarda
- OVP Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta
- Chief Accountant Julieta Villadelrey
- Special Disbursement Officer Edward Fajarda
Amid the absence of Vice Pres. Duterte at the House plenary deliberations of the OVP’s proposed budget for 2026, no questions were fielded by any member of the lower chamber. Instead, the solons including Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima were disappointed by her absence.
“Enough is enough, enough of her brattiness. If she can afford to show up in the Senate and applaud the former Senate President in his privilege speech, which is definitely not part of her mandate as the Vice President, why can’t she spare a few moments of her time attending the official function as Vice President to defend the budget of her office?” De Lima said.
Based on a report on PhilStar, Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima proposed to cut the proposed budget of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s office for 2026. According to her, a zero allocation may even be considered but the funds for the personnel and basic operations must remain.
In the Senate, the upper chamber swiftly approved the proposed budget of the OVP. Senator Bong Go even proposed to giving some of his office’s budget to Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s office in support of her to be a “working vice president”.