House Reveals Conditions Set by VP Sara Duterte for her Attendance to the OVP Proposed Budget’s Plenary Deliberations
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President set conditions with the House of Representatives for her attendance to the plenary deliberations of her office’s proposed budget for 2026.
Vice Pres. Duterte has attended the previous budget hearings conducted by the House and the Senate over the proposed budget of the OVP for 2026. Her office is asking for P902.9 million for its programs, services, and operation next year.
During the recent Senate hearing on the proposed budget of the OVP, known Duterte-ally Senator Bong Go even expressed his desire to support Vice Pres. Sara Duterte to be a working vice president by giving some of the budget of his office to the OVP. The Senate panel swiftly approved the budget request of Duterte’s office for next year.
Recently, the House of Representatives had their plenary deliberations of the proposed budget of the OVP for 2026. However, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte was no show. Based on a report on GMA News, Palawan Representative Jose “Pepito” Alvarez claimed that the Vice President set conditions for her appearance to the budget deliberation but the lower chamber did not give in to her demands.
Based on the report, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte wanted the House to demand the presence of Pres. Bongbong Marcos at the plenary deliberations of the proposed budget of his office. The Office of the President is asking for a P27.3-billion budget for 2026.
Aside from the attendance of Marcos Jr. to the plenary deliberations of the House on his office’s proposed budget for next year, the Vice President also wanted the lifting of the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) on some of the personnel of the OVP. The following OVP personnel were previously questioned over the disbursement of the P625 million confidential funds of the office in 2022 and 2023:
- 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
“We have given the Office of the Vice President utmost respect in the procedures of this Congress in order to deliberate on the budget of the OVP. [But] there’s no one from the OVP and I’m prepared to stand alone here and stand for the budget of the OVP,” the Palawan solon said.
With the absence of Duterte and the personnel of the OVP, no questions were fielded by the House members during the plenary deliberation of the proposed budget of Duterte’s office for 2026. Instead, based on the report, the solons expressed their disappointment on the absence of the Vice President.
In the previous Senate hearing of the OVP’s proposed budget for 2026, the panel of the upper chamber swiftly approved the proposed fund. In fact, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada even floated the idea of giving the office of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte the senators’ budget insertions.