The Office of the Vice President (OVP) announced on Wednesday that its medical and burial assistance programs have no allocated budget in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
“There is no approved budget for the Medical and Burial Assistance Program of the Office of the Vice President under the 2025 GAA,” the OVP stated, apologizing for any inconvenience this may cause.
The OVP clarified that its 2025 budget, reduced from an initial proposal of P2.037 billion to P733 million, does not include a line item for financial assistance or subsidies. Despite this, it has yet to confirm whether these programs will be discontinued.
In 2024, the OVP’s medical and burial assistance programs served 187,028 beneficiaries, with over P822 million in aid distributed. The current budget marks a significant decrease from the previous year’s allocation of P2.3 billion.
Further clarification on the implications of the missing funding is pending as inquiries remain unanswered.
