LIVE: 2nd House hearing on Office of the Vice President's 2025 budget

MANILA, Philippines — The House Committee on Appropriations resumed the hearing on the proposed P6.352 trillion 2025 national budget on Tuesday, September 10.

The panel, chaired by Rep. Elizaldy Co (AKO BICOL Party-list), is deliberating on the spending plan for the Office of the Vice President.

This comes two weeks after the hours-long House panel scrutiny of the proposed P2.037-billion budget of the OVP.

Committee Senior Vice Chairperson Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo (Marikina City, 2nd district) presided over the first budget hearing last August 27 which was attended by Vice President Sara Duterte.  

The OVP’s proposed 2025 budget is 8.05% higher than the approved budget of P1.885 billion this year.

The interpellation during the first budget hearing turned tense after Duterte evaded questions from the Members of the Committee stating “I will forgo the opportunity to defend the budget of the OVP in a question and answer format. I will leave it to the House to decide on the budget submitted."

She also refused to answer questions on how her office utilized its budget. This led to the House panel deferring the approval OVP's budget.  

Duterte's attendance to the Senate hearing last month also turned sour after she defended the proposed P10 million allocation for her children's book "Isang Kaibigan" (A Friend).

Watch the House hearing into the 2025 National Budget for OVP on Sept. 10, 2024.