The House appropriations panel has once again deferred discussions on the proposed P2 billion budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for 2025. This follows a motion by Ako Bicol party-list Representative Raul Bongalon, who requested the delay until conditions are met, including potentially reducing the proposed budget or placing some funds on hold for further review.
The motion was unopposed after Vice President Sara Duterte failed to attend the deliberations, marking the second time her absence has caused a postponement. Duterte had previously declined to address lawmakers’ questions regarding the use of the OVP’s budget, particularly the P125 million and P500 million allocated for confidential funds in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Lanao del Sur Representative Zia Adiong, the OVP’s designated budget sponsor, stated that no decision has been made yet on cutting the proposed budget. However, House appropriations chair Zaldy Co expressed concern about approving the budget, especially after the Commission on Audit’s (COA) recent disallowance notice regarding P73 million in OVP confidential funds. Co questioned the justification for granting the OVP’s P2 billion request, suggesting the funds could be better allocated to other agencies focused on poverty alleviation.
The budget controversy has intensified following Vice President Duterte’s claim that House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Representative Co control the national budget allocations, which both lawmakers strongly denied.