Vice President Sara Duterte claimed that the recent House of Representatives hearing on the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) budget is politically motivated to discredit her and hinder her potential candidacy in 2028. The vice president made the statement during the House committee on good government and public accountability hearing on Wednesday.
“What we are witnessing now is no ordinary legislative inquiry. This exercise is a well-funded and coordinated political attack,” Duterte told lawmakers. She believes the inquiry is rooted in Manila 2nd District Rep. Rolando Valeriano’s privilege speech delivered on September 3, which she claims was aimed at discouraging voters from supporting her in future elections. “A speech that simply meant to say, ‘Do not vote for Sara in 2028,’” Duterte added.
The House panel convened to discuss the OVP’s socioeconomic programs, which, according to Valeriano, were limited to the National Capital Region between 2023 and 2025 and benefited 977,615 individuals. However, he raised concerns about the legitimacy of the beneficiaries, questioning whether they were real people or ghost recipients.
Duterte defended the OVP, stating that no misuse of funds had occurred and that the office would respond to any legitimate audit findings or cases brought to court. She emphasized that accusations of malfeasance should be addressed in the proper legal channels.
The OVP’s budget utilization has come under scrutiny, with particular focus on the confidential funds used in 2022 and 2023. The Commission on Audit (COA) issued a notice of disallowance against P73.2 million of the OVP’s P125 million confidential fund for 2022. Several lawmakers have also criticized the allocation of these funds, noting that they were not included in the original budget under former Vice President Leni Robredo.
Duterte’s absence from the OVP budget deliberations on Tuesday also drew attention, as only 0.04 percent of the P150 million budget for the “Magnegosyo Ta Day” program had been utilized. The program aims to alleviate poverty by integrating individuals and sectors into the mainstream economy.