VP Sara's absence stalls OVP budget debate

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives on Monday, September 23, deferred the plenary debate on the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed 2025 budget due to the agency’s absence, rescheduling it for today, September 24.  

At a press conference on Monday, Minority Leader Rep. Marcelino Libanan (4Ps Party) said that the plenary debate for the OVP’s budget was scheduled at 10 a.m. 

While waiting for any authorized representative from the agency, the lower chamber proceeded with the budget of other agencies.

However, nearly 17 hours have passed since plenary debates began at 10 a.m. the day before and no authorized representative from the OVP returned to the session hall. 

Lawmakers then decided to postpone the agency’s budget deliberation to Tuesday, which will also include the plenary debate on the Office of the President’s budget.

Before the lower chamber suspended the plenary debates at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, a deputy majority leader said that the head of the OVP’s legal office, along with two others, arrived at the session hall before 10 a.m. on Monday. However, they did not have a letter authorizing them to represent the agency.

The only letter the House of Representatives received on Monday morning was one written on September 11. It was addressed to the OVP’s budget sponsor, Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong (Lanao del Sur, 1st District), who requested to meet with Duterte before the plenary debates. 

However, the lawmaker said that the meeting also did not happen.

“The OVP leaves the deliberation of our budget proposal in the plenary entirely to the pleasure of the House of Representatives,” the letter read. 

This is the same reasoning Duterte has reiterated to House lawmakers during the two previous budget hearings of the appropriations committee and at a House inquiry on a privilege speech on the OVP’s alleged misuse of funds.

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Rep. Raoul Manuel (Kabataan Partylist) recounted at the plenary the vice president’s “consistent” behavior in evading lawmakers’ questions on how the budget will be used, comparing it to a child asking parents for money without