Senator Joel Villanueva and several of his colleagues are advocating for an increase in the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) 2025 budget, currently approved at ₱733 million, despite controversies surrounding Vice President Sara Duterte.
Villanueva explained that his push to raise the OVP’s budget focuses on supporting its social programs rather than on who occupies the office. “I feel like we need to put some more social funds na pwedeng gamitin ng vice president kasi vice president’s office ‘yan,” Villanueva said in an interview.
The Senate finance committee previously adopted the House of Representatives’ decision to cut the OVP’s proposed ₱2 billion budget in the National Expenditure Program. However, committee chair Senator Grace Poe noted that the budget remains subject to amendments.
Villanueva revealed that four to five senators share his position to increase the OVP’s funding. “The right time to discuss this is during the period of amendments,” he said.
The senator also highlighted the potential job losses for OVP employees as a key concern. “As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Labor, I take seriously the impact on government workers, especially those at risk of losing their jobs,” he added.
Vice President Duterte earlier warned that about 200 employees might lose their jobs due to the budget cut. However, Senator Risa Hontiveros countered that the current ₱733 million allocation is sufficient, citing previous vice presidents’ ability to operate without a multi-billion-peso budget.
