(UPDATES) A HOUSE panel on Thursday slashed nearly P1.3 billion off the budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), or 63 percent of its original budget request of P2.037 billion.
The move follows Vice President Sara Duterte’s refusal to face the House Committee on Appropriations again to answer questions about her budget, after she accused lawmakers of using the hearings to attack her.
The Manila Times tried to reach the OVP for comment but the office has yet to issue a statement. Earlier, however, Duterte had stated that the OVP has “deferred entirely to the discretion and judgment of the committee regarding its budget proposal for 2025.”
BUDGET BRIEFING Rep. Stella Quimbo explains why lawmakers slashed the budget of the Office of the Vice President during a media briefing at the House of Representatives on Sept. 12, 2024. PHOTO BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE
House Appropriations Committee Senior Vice Chairman and Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo said the executive committee of the panel approved the removal of P1.293 billion from the OVP budget, made up of P947 million for financial assistance and P48.3 million for rent and lease expenses.
There were also cuts from other allocations, such as professional services or the hiring of consultants, utilities and supplies and materials.
The financial assistance part of the OVP’s budget is the source of money for those seeking burial, medical, transportation and similar assistance from the office.
The funds will be transferred to the Department of Health (DoH) under its Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (Maifip) and the Assistance to Individuals to Crisis Situations (AICS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Both agencies will receive a nearly equal share of the funding amounting to P646 million, raising the total budget of the Maifip program to P27.55 billion from P26.9 billion and the AICS program to P35.8 billion from P35.18 billion.
Quimbo assured the public that the OVP and the beneficiaries of the projects could still access the funds that would be transferred to the DSWD and the DoH by communicating their requests to the two departments.
“We think that the DSWD and DoH are much better [placed] to implement these programs, and expand these services to the recipients,” Quimbo said.
The cuts mean that the OVP will be given a budget of P733 million, which is around the same level as it was in 2022, noting that the appropriations for “personal services” or salaries for its personnel will be retained.
“We brought it back to 2022 levels, where the Vice President maintained a single office. When it comes to budget execution, it is up to the executive,” Quimbo said.
She also said that the OVP is also allowed to accept donations to cover its shortfall, and if the donations came from foreign governments, they need to have a clearance from the Office of the President.
The budget cuts came after the Commission on Audit found that the OVP did not use its funds and found problems in the implementation of the office’s financial aid programs, which led to redundancies.
She also said that the OVP was found to maintain 10 satellite offices and two extension offices, hence the cut in the rental allocation from P80 million to P32 million.
Quimbo said that the budget can still be amended during the process of deliberations as the amount is just a recommendation at the committee level.
“This is still a recommendation to the Committee on Appropriations to the Plenary,” Quimbo said.
Lawmaker Stella Quimbo answers questions during a press briefing at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Sept. 12, 2024. The appropriations panel announced a budget cut for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), the excess redirect funds to DSWD, DOH assistance programs. PHOTOS BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE
Lawmaker Stella Quimbo answers questions during a press briefing at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Sept. 12, 2024. The appropriations panel announced a budget cut for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), the excess redirect funds to DSWD, DOH assistance programs. PHOTOS BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE
Lawmaker Stella Quimbo answers questions during a press briefing at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Sept. 12, 2024. The appropriations panel announced a budget cut for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), the excess redirect funds to DSWD, DOH assistance programs. PHOTOS BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE
Lawmaker Stella Quimbo answers questions during a press briefing at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Sept. 12, 2024. The appropriations panel announced a budget cut for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), the excess redirect funds to DSWD, DOH assistance programs. PHOTOS BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE
Lawmaker Stella Quimbo answers questions during a press briefing at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Sept. 12, 2024. The appropriations panel announced a budget cut for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), the excess redirect funds to DSWD, DOH assistance programs. PHOTOS BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE
Lawmaker Stella Quimbo answers questions during a press briefing at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Sept. 12, 2024. The appropriations panel announced a budget cut for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), the excess redirect funds to DSWD, DOH assistance programs. PHOTOS BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE
The plenary debates on the 2025 budget will begin on September 16, with the OVP scheduled on Sept. 23 at 10 a.m.
After the budget goes to the House plenary, it will be transmitted to the Senate, then it would be under the Bicameral Conference Committee.
ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro, who has clashed with Duterte, said the budget cut of the OVP should go to education and other essential services.
She also suggested that the P10 million budget for Duterte’s children’s book “Isang Kaibigan” be reallocated to the Department of Education to support educational initiatives.
“Reallocating these funds to DepEd will better serve our students and educators, ensuring that resources are directed towards enhancing our educational system,” Castro said.
Meanwhile, Senate President Francis Escudero urged all heads of government agencies to undergo the budget approval process for next year. This comes in light of Duterte’s absence from the House’s budget hearing for the OVP.
Escudero said regardless of fears, biases, and prejudices, the heads of each agency should go through the budget process and let Congress do its duty based on the Constitution’s mandate.
“Budget discussions are typically dull due to the excessive focus on numbers. Adding drama and color doesn’t seem to contribute to solving the current issues our country and people face,” he said.
Escudero said he hoped the OVP and House disagreement would be resolved.
“One of them should step back, put aside their differences, and follow the process so that Congress can decide immediately,” he said.
Although the vice president seems “nonchalant,” Escudero said, he believes that she also cares about the programs and projects that she promoted.
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