Vice President Sara Duterte has herself to blame over the fate of her 200 employees whose jobs are now at risk because she refused to defend her office’s P2 billion proposed budget for 2025, House good government and public accountability panel vice chairman Jeff Khonghun said Monday.
Khonghun was referring to Duterte’s earlier statement that around 200 personnel could lose jobs if the Senate will adopt the decision of the House of Representatives to allocate P733 million budget to OVP for 2025.
“Responsibility niya ‘yun (200 OVP employees). Dahil kung humarap siya sa Congress at ipinagtanggol niya ‘yung budget niya at jinustify niya ‘yung budget niya, hindi mawawalan ng trabaho ‘yung mga tao ngayon. So, it’s her responsibility. Bakit niya ipapasa sa Kongreso?” Khonghun said in a press conference.
(That 200 employees is her responsibility. Had she came her and defended, justified her office’s proposed budget for next year, these people will not lose their jobs. Why is she passing it to Congress?)
“Binigyan namin siya ng pagkakataon para ipaglaban, i-justify ‘yung kanyang budget. The problem is, hindi na jinustify ‘yung budget niya. Sinabi niya, bahala ang Kongreso. Ilang beses siya inimbitahan, hindi siya umattend, hindi siya pumunta para i-justify ang kanyang budget. And yet, pagkatapos, ibabalik niya sa Kongreso ‘yung mawawalan ng trabaho?” he added.
(We gave her opportunities to fight for, justify her proposed budget. She said it is up to Congress. She was invited but she did not show up. And now she is pointing at Congress over this?)
La Union Representative and Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V, for his part, said the Vice President showing up to defend her budget would have made the difference for those 200 contract of service employees.
“Baka nadagdagan pa [ang budget nila kung dinepensahan niya],” Ortega added.
(Congress would have even increased their budget.)
GMA News Online reached out to the OVP for comment but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.
Aside from a possible reduced budget for 2025, the Vice President is also facing a House good government and public accountability panel inquiry on the budget use of the OVP and the DepEd, during her stint, including the disbursement of confidential funds.
The said inquiry will resume on November 20, but the Vice President already said she will not be attending it since the lawmakers did not ask her questions when she went there in September. Duterte refused to take her oath prior to giving her testimony that time.—AOL, GMA Integrated News
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