The Office of the Vice President (OVP) revealed on Monday that Vice President Sara Duterte has submitted a letter to the House of Representatives, stating that she leaves the discussion of the OVP’s 2025 budget “entirely to the pleasure of the House.”
In a letter dated September 11, 2024, Duterte responded to Lanao del Sur Representative Zia Alonto Adiong, who is set to sponsor the OVP’s budget proposal in the plenary. “The OVP has duly submitted all the required documents… a comprehensive overview of our proposals was presented on August 27, 2024,” she wrote, expressing her trust in the House’s handling of the matter.
The letter was released just hours before the scheduled budget deliberations. Duterte’s office also issued a recorded interview on the same day, in which she stated, “Handa kami, handa ako na magtrabaho kahit walang budget,” acknowledging rumors of potential defunding. She emphasized that her office could continue operations even with a minimal or zero budget.
The House Committee on Appropriations had earlier decided to reduce the OVP’s proposed budget from P2 billion to P733 million, with the removed P1.29 billion redirected to the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Health. This decision follows heated debates regarding the OVP’s funding, including a P10 million request for a children’s book authored by Duterte.