Statement of OVP on Reports over Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, Office’s Staff on Absence at House Budget Hearing
OVP – The Office of the Vice President posted the screenshot showing that Vice Pres. Sara Duterte allegedly offered to attend House of Representatives budget hearing instead of Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez.
Recently, Vice Pres. Duterte and the Office of the Vice President earned countless criticisms following the reports about their non-appearance to the budget hearing set by the House of Representatives. Currently, both the Senate and the House of Representatives are deliberating the proposed funds of the different government offices and institutions.
The Office of the Vice President is asking for a P902.8 million budget for 2026. According to Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s office, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved their request for additional funds because of their “flagship projects”. The OVP also said that their proposed budget for next year is already recommended by the DBM to the Congress.
The P902.8 million proposed budget of Duterte’s office is enough for their projects as the office previously said. Meanwhile, the Vice President’s office also said that the grant of bigger funds will pave the way for more projects.
However, recently, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte and the OVP received criticisms online after it was reported that they did not appear at the first House hearing of the office’s proposed budget for 2026. Palawan Representative Jose Alvarez claimed that Vice Pres. Sara Duterte and her staff were no show at the House budget hearing over the 2026 proposed budget as per his advice.
According to Alvarez who is the vice chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, OVP assistant chief-of-staff Lemuel Ortonio who was set to defend the proposed budget of the OVP is not an undersecretary-level officer. He stressed that should be either Vice Pres. Sara Duterte or an undersecretary should attend to defend the proposed fund.
“Knowing that and consistent with the tradition of the House that it’s either the head of agency or at the very least, an undersecretary who should defend the budget of the agency […] I advised them to refrain from attending if Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez is not present,” he said.
Following the reports and amid the criticisms, the OVP issued a statement clarifying that Vice Pres. Sara Duterte informed a Congressman that Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez is sick and she will attend for her instead. Duterte’s office stressed that “it was the House of Representatives that declined to accept the OVP delegation led by the Assistant Secretary — who is a senior official by reason of the status as presidential appointee”.
The OVP also posted a screenshot of the alleged conversation between Vice Pres. Sara Duterte and a congressman. Based on the post, the Vice President will not let Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez to attend the House hearing even if she is not sick.
In 2024, OVP USec. Zuleika Lopez was cited for contempt. Amid her detention in the House of Representatives, she was rushed to the hospital for falling ill. In the proposed budget for next year, the OVP previously stressed that Vice Pres. Sara Duterte is “ready” to defend her office’s proposed budget for 2026 but her attendance to the hearing depends on her schedule.