MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives deferred on Tuesday, August 27, the deliberations on the proposed 2025 budget of the Sara Duterte-led Office of the Vice President, a rare move for a chamber that has often accorded parliamentary courtesy to the OVP.
The House appropriations committee instead scheduled another round of deliberations for the OVP on September 10.
The motion was approved following proceedings that lasted for five hours, a stark contrast to how Duterte was treated in 2022 and 2023, when the House terminated budget deliberations only after less than 20 minutes.
Deferral of budget deliberations means the OVP’s budget request of P2.037 billion for 2025, an increase from the P1.885 billion for the current year, will not be elevated yet to the House plenary, unlike other government agencies that preceded Duterte’s office.
The decision came after Duterte’s repeated refusal to answer questions frustrated lawmakers, and even visibly angered some of them.
Many of the House members wanted to shed clarity on how the OVP spent P125 million in confidential funds in 2022, especially in light of a Commission on Audit request to refund the money due to supposed irregularities.
“I would like to forgo the opportunity to defend the budget,” Duterte repeatedly said, insisting that the questions thrown at her should exclusively be about her proposed 2025 budget, which does not have a request for secret funds.
House Assistant Majority Leader Zia Alonto Adiong, who is tasked to sponsor the budget of the OVP this year, expressed disappointment over how the proceedings went.
“It’s going to be a lot difficult task for me to sponsor and defend the budget if that continues,” Adiong said.
The breakdown of decorum during Tuesday’s hearing — which saw House members engage in a word war with the Vice President — came after a public falling out between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Duterte family, two years since their political alliance resulted in a landslide election victory. – Rappler.com
