Senate OKs P733M OVP budget; Sara attends plenary debates

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THE Senate yesterday afternoon submitted for plenary approval the proposed P733-million budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for 2025, in just under 30 minutes after the funding request was submitted for floor discussions.

No senator interpellated Sen. Grace Poe, chairperson of the Committee on Finance, when she sponsored the OVP budget despite earlier manifestations made by some senators that they would seek the suspension of the Rules so they can question Vice President Sara Duterte, who physically attended yesterday’s plenary deliberations.

Sen. Ronald dela Rosa moved to approve the OVP budget in the committee level.

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Before the budget was approved, Sen. Cristopher Go moved to restore the P1.3 billion that was slashed by the House of Representatives from the OVP funding and adopted by the Poe committee.

Go said the slashed amount, which is intended for the OVP’s social services programs, should be retained by the Senate because “being the second highest official of the land, the Vice President wants to deliver services to the people and not just act as a spare tire.”

“Kung gusto naman po mag-trabaho ay bigyan po natin siya ng pagkakataong magtrabaho. Inihalal po siya na maglingkod at tumugon sa mga pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan (If she wants to work, please let us give her a chance to serve the people. She was elected to serve and she just wants to prove for the needs of the people),” Go said.

The OVP had a P2.025 billion budget request under the 2025 National Expenditure Program. The House realigned P1.3 billion to the social services programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Health and approved only P733 million.

In pushing for the restoration of the cut funds, Go said the OVP has various social services programs that benefit the people, including giving grants and training for small businesses, educational and medical assistance, and burial assistance programs, among others.

He said the OVP has also been active in giving assistance to the victims of calamities.

He added that the OVPs functions should not be limited to just being a replacement to the President in case the latter is unable to perform his official functions for whatever reasons, pointing out that even senators, whose main task is to craft laws, are not limited to their mandate as they, too, provide assistance to the needy.

“Mr. President, public offices in general, are meant to serve the Filipino people, lalo na kung lumalapit sila diretso, ang kanilang opisina, sa ating mga kababayan. Basic mandate po ang tumulong, lalo na sa sa mga nangangailangan ng social services (Mr. President, public offices in general are meant to serve the Filipino people, especially if the concerned office brings its services closer to the people. To help the needy is a basic mandate of these offices),” he said.

Go appealed to his colleagues to restore the slashed amount. “Kaya nananawagan po sana ako sa mga kasamahan natin dito na sana po madagdagan o maibalik ang pondo na inaprubahan sa NEP for 2025. Para naman po makapag-trabaho ang ating Bise President na parte po ng Executive Branch of government. Para naman meron tayong working Vice President at hindi lang po spare tire (I am calling on my colleagues to add or retain the original funds of the OVP in the NEP for 2025 so that we will have a working Vice President and not just a spare tire),” he said.

Poe said the OVP’s budget is not yet final since senators, including Go and Dela Rosa, can still propose adjustments during the period of amendments.

She added the OVP also has to submit documents that have been requested by the committee.

“One of the reasons why we retained the GAB proposal is because we’re still awaiting the documents from the OVP… Wala pa sa ngayon (They have yet to submit the documents), she said.

200 COS WORKERS

In a chance interview after the approval of the OVP budget, the Vice President thanked the Senate for “accommodating” her office’s budget request and said she is leaving it to Congress to decide on the final amount.

She said, though, that the cuts made on the OVP appropriation will affect the jobs of more than 200 contract of service (COS) employees since they will be forced to shut down some of their satellite offices.

“The closure of the satellite offices is a possibility depending on the budget,” she said, adding that she may even have to let go of some of the employees assigned to the OVP Central Office since the lack of funds for social services means “no more work to be done.”

“Walang budget, walang project, walang gagawin. May personnel na mawawalan ng trabaho (Without funds, there would be no projects, and there would be no work to do. There will be a number of personnel who will lose their jobs),” she said.

Duterte also said that since their budget has been slashed, the OVP will no longer have enough funds for its medical assistance programs.

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Duterte said she and her staff members opted not to attend the budget hearings at the House of Representatives because the questions of the congressmen were recycled.

“Hindi na kami um-attend sa plenary kasi alam naman naming na paulit-ulit lang ang tanong nila (We did not attend the [House] plenary hearings because we know that they will only recycle their questions),” she said.

She added the House budget hearing was purely political that even if the OVP budget was prepared and approved by the Executive, the congressmen still “attacked” her, more so on her use of her office’s confidential funds.

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