The House of Representatives on Friday, October 10, approved a ₱156-million reduction in the proposed 2026 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), effectively reverting its funding to the 2025 level of ₱733.2 million.
The amendment was introduced by Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima during the plenary session on the ₱6.793-trillion 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). De Lima moved to cut the OVP’s allocation from ₱889.24 million, a 17.5 percent decrease.
“I proposed an amendment to the budget of the [OVP] in the form of a reduction from ₱889.24 million to its 2025 level of ₱733.2 million,” De Lima said during the session.
Committee on Appropriations chairperson Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing of Nueva Ecija accepted the motion, which was later affirmed by Majority Leader Rep. Sandro Marcos and adopted by Deputy Speaker Rep. Kristine Singson-Meehan, who presided over the session. Applause reportedly filled the plenary following Suansing’s acceptance.
De Lima slams Duterte’s ‘disrespect’
In her remarks, De Lima criticized Vice President Sara Duterte for skipping the House deliberations on the proposed OVP budget, describing it as “an insult” to Congress and to the public.
“VP Sara Duterte’s repeated refusal to face this chamber is an insult. It spits on the duty of accountability, while she clings to millions in public funds she refuses to explain,” she said.
She likened the situation to parents being “pushed away by a child” who refuses to account for money given to them, calling the Vice President’s actions “a clear show of disrespect.”
“Public money is not a toy,” De Lima added. “It is a trust. And until the Vice President learns respect, this House must act as the parent that disciplines a brat.”
Conditions attached to budget cut
Suansing said the approved reduction comes with two conditions to safeguard the welfare of OVP employees and ensure that the office can still perform its duties.
“First, we want to protect the interests of the personnel within the [OVP]… we will ensure that the Personnel Services will reflect salary increases in compliance with the Salary Standardization Law,” Suansing said.
“Second, we will also ensure that the final budget of the [OVP] will be sufficient for the office to be able to perform its mandate,” she added.
The OVP budget amendment was one of only two motions that saw both majority and minority lawmakers in agreement during Friday’s session.
