House panel slashes VP Duterte’s budget by over 60%

MANILA, Philippines — The House committee on appropriations on Thursday unanimously decided to slash the proposed P2.03-billion budget for Vice President Sara Duterte by over a half, slicing off allocations for “redundant” and inefficient programs for the administration’s “spare tire” who had riled lawmakers by snubbing their budget hearings.

Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, the panel’s senior vice chair, said that the committee recommended a P1.3-billion cut, or about 63 percent, from the budget for financial assistance, consultants, utilities and supplies, and rental expenses of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in 2025.

Going to DSWD, DOH

If approved, the funds that were removed from the OVP would be realigned to the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the medical assistance program of the Department of Health (DOH), with each of the two agencies getting an almost equal share of about P646 million.

The powerful appropriations committee gave zero allocation for the OVP’s financial assistance or subsidy programs, which it used to get funding for medical and burial assistance and transportation services.

It also cut the OVP budget for rent and lease expenses for its 10 “satellite” and two extension offices across the country, which were found to be costing the government P4.4 million a month, or an average of P370,000 monthly for each of these offices.

READ: OVP budget deferred after Duterte evades questions at House hearing

READ: VP Sara Duterte may be liable for graft – Dalipe

Staff salaries intact

Overall, the OVP’s proposed P80.73 million allocation for lease or rental was reduced to P30.43 million.

The panel, however, decided to keep the OVP’s personnel services budget to ensure that staff jobs are protected, Quimbo said.

Duterte and her spokesperson, Michael Poa, did not respond to reporters’ requests for comment on the cuts made by the House appropriations committee.

Her staff told journalists that their queries had “already been relayed” to the Vice President.

The OVP had provided the media with three separate parts of a purported Sept. 4 “interview” with Duterte by an unknown person where she had accused Speaker Martin Romualdez and House appropriations panel chair and Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co of “controlling” the budget.

“Why hold a budget hearing for the Office of the Vice President in the first place while there were only two people who are in full control of our national budget?” Duterte said in part two of the interview.

In the third part of the interview, she said she was fine with having no budget and that the OVP could still carry on with its work. Moves to defund her office were part of “attacks” against her, she said without elaborating.

Playing peacemaker

Senate President Francis Escudero on Thursday urged Duterte and House members to set aside their differences and just follow the budget deliberation process.

He noted that budget deliberations were usually “boring” because of the many figures being mentioned.

“And while this whole thing is adding drama and color to it, I don’t think this is in any way helping resolve the problems our country and people are facing right now,” he said, referring to the conflict between the Vice President and the House budget panel.

“I therefore urge and encourage heads of agencies, regardless of their fears, biases or prejudices, to go through the budget process and let Congress do its constitutionally mandated job,” he added.

The Senate leader was asked to comment on whether the OVP should receive a zero budget for snubbing the resumption of the House deliberations on its budget proposal on Tuesday and for refusing to answer the lawmakers’ queries.

Unprecedented

“The budget process is still ongoing and I would not want to preempt the House or Senate,” said Escudero.

“Suffice it to say that it is possible given that Congress has the ‘power of the purse,’ but it has never happened to the OVP nor to any agency in recent years to my recollection,” he said.

Quimbo said the decision to slash Duterte’s budget “did not come easy.” However, she said the committee agreed that there were many “problem areas” in the OVP’s budget, including its redundant social programs and issues with the implementation and delivery of its services.

“So we said, why don’t we just transfer the funds for financial assistance to the national government agencies which are tried and tested?” Quimbo said. “This will not mean that the OVP’s ability to help would be lessened, but basically we will just transfer the funds to the DSWD and the DOH and the OVP could just ask for allocation from those agencies.”

COA-flagged items

The Commission on Audit had flagged alleged irregularities in the OVP’s 2023 budget and had issued a notice of disallowance against P73 million of its P125 million confidential funds in 2022. It also cited “overpriced rentals” for the OVP’s satellite offices, “near-expired” food items intended as aid, and the dismally low disbursement of funds for its flagship livelihood project.

Duterte could have explained the OVP’s expenditures if she had attended the budget hearings and could have given “better answers, better justifications” for them to the House members.

“But to my mind, it would not have changed anything. This would have still been the decision of the committee,” Quimbo said.

First to exceed P1B

If the cuts were approved, the new OVP budget would amount to about the same as its 2022 budget under then Vice President Leni Robredo.

It was only under Duterte that the budget for the OVP reached a billion pesos for the first time in 2023, despite criticisms that it did not need that much money considering the Vice President’s constitutional mandate of taking over the presidency if the President of the republic is unable to perform the job due to death or removal through impeachment.

Quimbo stressed, however, that the budget cuts were not final and merely recommendations to be taken up in plenary debates beginning Sept.16.

Quimbo said House members were hoping to approve the General Appropriations Bill on the third reading by Sept. 25. The OVP budget cuts will have to also be approved in the bicameral meeting with the Senate.

Up to Marcos

Ultimately, President Marcos can either approve or veto the budget on a line item basis, Quimbo said. “So that only goes to show how long our budget process is and that there are so many people involved in the approval of the budget, not just two people.”

ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro called on lawmakers to ensure that the P10-million budget for Duterte’s book, “Isang Kaibigan,” be transferred to the Department of Education (DepEd).

“Reallocating these funds to DepEd will better serve our students and educators, ensuring that resources are directed toward enhancing our educational system,” Castro said.

“We must ensure that every peso in the national budget is spent wisely and effectively. By redirecting funds to where they are most needed, we can provide better services and support to our citizens,” she added. —WITH REPORTS FROM TINA G. SANTOS AND DEMPSEY REYES