SENATE deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros yesterday vowed to oppose any move to increase the budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for next year, saying that the P733 million approved by the House of Representatives and adopted by the Senate finance committee is sufficient for the office’s operations.
Hontiveros made the remark during the Kapihan sa Senado media forum after a number of senators said they would seek to augment the 2025 allocation for the office of Vice President Sara Duterte.
“I will vote against adding to the OVP budget… unless meron talagang super duper good reason na makumbinis pa naman ako (unless there is a super duper reason to convince me otherwise),” she said.
“Narinig ko pa lang ‘yung ilan sa mga kasama ko dito na nagsasalita tungkol sa posibleng pagdagdag. Hindi ko alam kung majority sentiment na ‘yan. Pero at the proper time i-a-argue ko talaga na sapat na ‘yan kasi historically nakapag-operate naman ng maayos ang mga OVP ng mga dating administrasyon sa ganyang level or even less, as a matter of fact. At tingin ko very fair at efficient yung current form niya, nagkakaroon pa rin ng leeway ang OVP na mag participate sa ganyang mga programs ng existing departments at may say pa rin siya
(I have heard that some of my colleagues here [in the Senate] are talking about the possibility of increasing [the OVP budget]. I don’t know if that’s the sentiment of the majority. But at the proper time, I will really argue that its budget is enough because historically, the OVPs of the past administrations have operated on such budget level, or even less, as a matter of fact. To me, I think it is very fair and sufficient in its current form and the OVP still has the leeway to participate in programs which are already existing in other departments. She [Vice President Sara Duterte] still has a say on them),” Hontiveros said.
The House of Representatives slashed more than P1.3 billion from the OVP’s budget and realigned it to socio-economic programs under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DOH).
The slashed funds were intended for socio-economic programs being implemented by the OVP.
The Senate finance committee chaired by Sen. Grace Poe adopted the House’s version and proposed a P733 million for the OVP for 2025.
Duterte has said that slashing her office’s budget would lead to the closure of a number of its satellite offices, which would also mean that around 200 contract of service and even regular employees would lose their jobs.
Senators Christopher Go and Ronald dela Rosa, both allies of Duterte, have previously asked their colleagues to restore the proposed P2.01 billion OVP budget contained in the National Expenditure Program (NEP), saying that the Vice President is active in providing much-needed basic services to the needy.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, in a radio interview over the weekend, also said senators are discussing a budget hike for the OVP but did not say how much.
“Ang Vice President marami rin lumapalit at humihingi ng tulong sa kanya. Nationwide yan. Kapag umiikot ang isang Vice President sa mga kababayan natin, tutulong ka dahil Vice President ka. Yan ang isa sa mga bagay na pinag-uusapan namin ang ang ating Vice President dapat meron kakayahan na tumulong (Many people approach the Vice President asking for help. That is nationwide. When a vice president reaches out to the people, you help because you are the vice president. That is one of the things were are discussing — that the Vice President must have the capacity to help),” Gatchalian said.
But Hontiveros said the OVP’s socio-economic programs are similar to the programs of government agencies and giving it the slashed funds to carry out the same programs would merely be a duplication of functions.
She said the OVP can refer those who need assistance to the proper agencies, anyway.
MORE FUNDING
Hontiveros said the Senate carried some of her recommendations to increase fundings for a number of agencies for the welfare of women, and in the fight against human trafficking.
She said her colleagues agreed to hike by P84.9 million the allocation for the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), an agency under the Department of Justice, to big boost its campaign against Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and scam hubs preying on Filipinos in and out of the country; P32.7 million for the National Coordination Center Against Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children and Child Abuse and Exploitation Materials (NCC-OSEAC-CSAEM) to fight online abuses of the youth; and P5 million for the Department of Health’s “Sumbungan Board” to deal with violators of the Strengthened Anti-Hospital Deposit Law.
She said she will also propose to increase funding for State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) for their free higher education program.
She said the Senate also approved the increase of P100 million for the Philippine Coast Guard’s intelligence funds.
“The final Senate version gave a P100 million additional intelligence funds for our Philippine Coast Guard,” she said.
Sen. Ronald dela Rosa said the P67 million increase in the proposed budget of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the continued support to the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) will help Mindanao with its economic growth as it will accommodate more programs that will ensure continuous development in the island.
Dela Rosa said the budget increase for MinDA will cover its Digital Innovations Program, support for sustainable operations of the Mindanao River Basin, and the strengthening of the Indigenous Peoples in Mindanao Program Year 2.
He also said there is a continuing need for research programs on the Mindanao River Basin Program, which runs through eight basins across the region, since there are around 4.5 million people living near the waterway who benefits from it, and it is considered as home to the largest wetland ecosystem in the country.
With the budget increase, MinDA now has a total proposed budget of P334.515 million for next year under the Senate version of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
Dela Rosa said the continued budgetary support for the SPDA, a government-owned and controlled corporation, is needed for it to initiate more projects that are corporate and economic in nature in various sectors such as agriculture, power, infrastructure, energy, and land development, among others.
