Ending debates, House grants OVP P733-million amid Sara's absences

MANILA, Philippines — Despite no representative from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) being present, the House of Representatives moved forward with discussions on the agency's proposed 2025 budget on Wednesday, September 25.

House lawmakers concluded the budget proceedings, submitting the proposed budget of P733 million for the OVP. This amount reflects a 63.8% cut from the OVP's original request of P2.026 billion.

On September 11, the appropriations committee recommended reallocating P1.293 billion from the OVP’s budget to the Department of Health and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The appropriations committee recommended on September 11 the realignment of P1.293 billion slashed from the agency’s budget to the Department of Health and Department of Social Welfare and Development. 

RELATED: House panel moves to slash more than half of OVP budget 

Consistent absence. While Vice President Sara Duterte submitted a letter stating she would leave the budget deliberations to the plenary on Monday, lawmakers on Tuesday said they would extend “maximum leniency,” as the letter did not explicitly mention her or her staff's inability to attend.

As a result, the House was forced to postpone budget deliberations for the agency until the last day of plenary debates for the 2025 General Appropriations Bills (GAB) after the OVP was absent for three days. 

RELATED: VP Sara's absence stalls OVP budget debate

During the plenary, lawmakers largely expressed disappointment over the OVP’s apparent lack of intention to defend or explain her office’s spending and programs.

Even at the good governance committee's inquiry into the alleged misuse of public funds by Duterte in the OVP and Department of Education, she remained absent. 

“Answering questions during budget deliberations is a duty because the people's money is being discussed. It is not a choice that can simply be ignored, nor should traditions be used as an excuse to avoid accountability for how public funds are spent, regardless of the agency involved,” Rep. Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Women’s Party) said in Filipino.

Alleged misuse of funds. Lawmakers once again engaged in discussions over the