VICE President Sara Duterte has made good on her vow to no longer take part in defending her office’s proposed budget for 2025 during the plenary deliberations at the House of Representatives, reiterating her earlier stand that the chamber can do whatever it wants with the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) allocation.
The House, which is expected to approve Malacañang’s P6.352 trillion proposed national budget for 2025 on third and final reading tomorrow, has yet to begin the deliberations on the OVP’s budget as of press time.
In a September 11 letter to Lanao Del Sur Zia Alonto Adiong, the plenary sponsor of the OVP’s P2.037 billion proposed budget for next year, the Vice President repeated what she said in a previous letter to Speaker Martin Romualdez and Rep. Zaldy Co (PL, AKo Bicol), chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, that the House can do whatever it wants with the OVP’s budget.
“The Office of the Vice President (OVP) acknowledges the receipt of your letter of even date requesting a meeting to discuss the proposed budget of this office for the fiscal year 2025. As communicated to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the chair of the Committee on Appropriations, the OVP has duly submitted all the required documents to the Committee pertaining to its budget request for the upcoming year,” Duterte told Adiong.
“In consideration of the foregoing, the OVP leaves the deliberation of our budget proposal in the plenary entirely to the pleasure of the House of Representatives,” she also said.
The House appropriations panel has slashed the OVP’s proposed P2.037 billion budget by a whopping 63.8 percent, approving only P733.198 million and realigning P1.29 billion to programs under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DOH) to help indigents.
The committee cut the budget after Duterte refused to answer questions from lawmakers related to how her office spent its P2.3 billion allocation in 2023.
La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V said a representative from the OVP who attended the budget deliberations yesterday in Duterte’s place did not have “formal authorization and failed to provide an explanation for her absence.”
“Congress deserves the proper respect and transparency when it comes to official deliberations. Sending someone without any clear authorization or explanation does not help the situation,” Ortega said.
The committee deliberations on the OVP’s proposed budget was first deferred last August 27 when tensions flared after Duterte stonewalled questions on the findings of the Commission on Audit (CPOA), which has issued a notice of disallowance to the OVP for its use of P73 million confidential funds in 2022 which was part of its P125 million CF.
While Duterte did not attend the resumption of the budget hearing last September 10, she attended last Wednesday’s hearing of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on how the OVP has been spending its annual allocations.
The Vice President, however, refused to take an oath as a resource person, declined to answer the lawmakers’ questions and left shortly after delivering a statement assailing the investigation.
Administration lawmakers earlier said the P73 million disallowed by the COA out of the OVP’s P125 million CF in 2022 is just the beginning of a “broader pattern of seeming misuse or mismanagement of government funds” as they noted an additional P164 million also flagged by auditors under the OVP’s secret funds for 2023.
The P164 million, which is part of the OVP’s P500 million confidential funds in 2023, was included in COA’s Audit Observation Memorandums (AOMs). In total, the COA has so far questioned the use of P237 million in confidential funds under Duterte.
CALAGUAS BREAK
The Vice President’s absence during the floor deliberations was highlighted after her beach photos in Calaguas Island last weekend were posted online following her meeting with former Vice President Leni Robredo in Naga City.
The photos posted inn social media showed Duterte relaxing at a beach in Calaguas Island in Camarines Norte.
Ortega said reports that Duterte was vacationing at Calaguas Island while the budget deliberations for the OVP were ongoing in Congress was “concerning.”
“If these reports are accurate, it is deeply concerning that the Vice President chose leisure over fulfilling her official constitutional duties to the nation. The budget deliberation is a critical process, one that ensures transparency and accountability in the use of public funds,” said Ortega.
He added: “The budget of the OVP is not just a number; it represents the people’s money. The Vice President should be present to answer questions and justify the allocations, especially since her office plays a significant role in national governance.”
Ortega stressed the importance of public officials “demonstrating accountability and responsibility, especially when it comes to taxpayers’ money.”
“While acceptable reasons for absence include personal emergencies or health issues, choosing to relax at a beach resort during a pivotal moment in Congress is a clear disregard for the responsibilities of her position,” he said.
The lawmaker also pointed out the potential negative impact of Duterte’s absence, particularly in delaying the budget deliberations, saying the issue “is not just about one office.”
“Delays in discussions affect public trust in government institutions and hinder the delivery of essential services to the people,” he said.
He added the OVP should clarify issues surrounding the Vice President’s whereabouts and the reason for her absence because “the Filipino people deserve an explanation” and because public officials, especially those in high office, “should lead by example in accountability, responsibility, and commitment to duty.”
House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan said there was nothing wrong if the Vice President went to the beach during the weekend “but she should have attended the very important budget hearings today (Monday).”
“If you really can’t attend, you should have a valid reason or at least send a someone who can represent you to answer questions,” Libanan told a press conference.
OP BUDGET
At the Senate, the more than P10.5 billion proposed budget of the Office of the President (OP) passed the subcommittee level in less than 10 minutes, with no senators asking questions to the resource persons present as a “parliamentary courtesy” to the head of a co-equal branch of government.
The Senate finance subcommittee A, presided by Sen. Grace Poe, quickly terminated the briefing for the OP’s 2025 proposed budget on the motion of Senate president pro tempore Jinggoy Estrada, which was seconded by Sen. Nancy Binay, after Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin delivered an opening statement on behalf of President Marcos.
“We trust in the transparent and accountable stewardship of public funds by the Office of the President. In the spirit of extending parliamentary courtesy to the head of a co-equal branch of government, I move that we terminate the briefing on the proposed 2025 budget of the Office of the President and that it be deemed submitted to plenary,” Estrada said.
Poe approved the motion.
Bersamin, in his opening statement, said the OP’s proposed budget is 1.88 percent lower as compared this year and “represents a mere 1/9 of 1 percent of the total proposed national budget of P6.352 trillion.”
“We believe the amount will be enough for the President to meet the exacting demands of being head of state and of government, the chief architect of Philippine foreign policy and the commander-in-chief. Despite the reduction in the budget being proposed, rest assured, your honors, that the same will not affect the delivery of services of the President to our people,” Bersamin said.
He said the President’s activities for next year are geared towards the provision of effective and efficient services, as well as provision of responsive executive policy directions on matters affecting the development of country, domestically and internationally.
“(It) will still be constant and regular mindful of the need to fulfill the president’s constitutional mandate with less financial requirement in support of the Bagong Pilipinas brand of governance. These presidential activities will however be conducted and held prudently and economically,” he said.
He said the President’s budget will “sufficiently support” necessary infrastructure works within the Palace complex which have been stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic, while taking into consideration the Philippine Green Building Code, the Fire Code of the Philippines, the Philippine Risk Reduction and Management Act, and the protection of cultural and heritage buildings.
“These projects are all implementation-ready and shall be completed within the fiscal year in accordance with the cash-based budgeting policy,” he said.
Estrada said the OP’s budget is “very crucial” as this represents midterm budget that will help the country to effectively continue the programs that the administration has initiated.
“Halfway towards the culmination of his term, the President should be provided with budget that will enable us to achieve our goals, particularly those asserted in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028,” Estrada said.
“Madam chairperson, despite the reduction in next year’s proposed budget, the Office of the President commits to remain steadfast in delivering its mandate to the Filipino people. In turn, it is our duty to support this commitment by approving the budget that will be the instrument for achieving our national goals,” he added. — With Raymond Africa
