The House of Representatives has postponed the plenary deliberations on the proposed 2025 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to Tuesday, September 24, following Vice President Sara Duterte’s failure to attend the session. The deliberations, initially scheduled for Monday morning, were rescheduled after lawmakers waited until around 3 a.m. before filing the motion.
House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan explained that the OVP’s representative, who appeared in Duterte’s absence, lacked written authorization, further delaying the budget discussions.
Kabataan Partylist Representative Raoul Manuel criticized Duterte’s repeated absences, calling it a “clear betrayal of public trust.” He pointed out that this was not the first time the Vice President had avoided answering lawmakers’ questions regarding the OVP’s budget.
“We actually waited for 17 hours, from 10 a.m. of September 23 until almost 3 a.m. on September 24. This is consistent with the OVP’s evasiveness in previous hearings,” Manuel remarked during his speech, highlighting the importance of transparency in budget deliberations.
Manuel also compared the scrutiny faced by other sectors, such as students and youth councils, when requesting funds, contrasting it with the perceived leniency towards the OVP. “When a child asks for money for a school project, they need to explain how it will be used… Why should it be different for the Vice President?” he asked.
The Vice President’s continued absence in budget hearings has led to a significant cut in the OVP’s proposed budget. On September 10, the House slashed the OVP’s budget from over P2 billion to P733 million, reallocating the removed P1.29 billion to social programs under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DOH).
In response, Duterte previously stated that her office would work with whatever budget is provided under the General Appropriations Act. She also accused House Speaker Martin Romualdez and the House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson of manipulating the budget process, allegations which were swiftly denied by lawmakers.
The OVP’s budget deliberations will now continue, as lawmakers press for clarity on the Vice President’s use of confidential funds in 2022.