MANILA, Philippines — Senator Joel Villanueva on Friday said that he disagrees with the House panel on appropriations’ move to cut the 2025 proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) by over half, emphasizing that consistency and tradition in the House of Representatives must be upheld.
“Napakahalaga sa amin, when I was there [as part of the House], the traditions. It may not be part of the law, it may not be part of the rules of both Houses, but we always submit to the traditions of our institution. Kaya medyo hindi talaga ako agree doon sa nangyari,” he said in an online interview.
(It was very important for us, when I was there, the traditions. It may not be part of the law, it may not be part of the rules of both Houses, but we always submit to the traditions of our institution. That’s why I don’t agree with what happened.)
The House tradition the senator was referring to is the passage of budget deliberations for the OVP. The budget deliberations were previously deferred by the House panel on appropriations after VP Sara Duterte evaded almost all questions by the lawmakers.
READ: Dela Rosa defends Sara Duterte as OVP budget cut looms
When asked if the budget should just be passed without undergoing a certain level of scrutiny, Villanueva raised the issue of consistency.
“You cannot do it in the first year or second year, and then the third year, mag-iiba (it will be different). ‘Yun na lang (That is all), the issue of consistency. If you’re gonna do that, keep on doing that the entire duration of your term, nitong (this) term,” he said.
“Kasi as tradition dictates nga, hindi po talaga ginagawa ‘yan,” he added.
(Because as tradition dictates, that is not what happens.)
He also pointed out that he has never seen a vice president attending a committee hearing on budget proposals, except when former Vice President Leni Robredo attended one.
Furthermore, the senator also mentioned alternative ways to raise questions about the previous utilization of the OVP funds.
“You can ask any questions in the budget deliberation. You can. ‘Yong tradition lang ‘yong binabanggit natin kanina lang mabigat (The tradition we’re referring to is significant). And if you would do that, you just have to be consistent,” he said.
“‘Yung binabanggit natin kanina (What we mentioned earlier), there are so many ways on doing it. You can file a resolution, you can investigate the confidential funds, you can call up COA (Commission on Audit) and have it deliberated upon by any committee in the House or in the Senate,” he added.
The senator explained that while he disagrees with the budget slash in the House panel, he said that he “cannot speak for the entire Senate.”
The House panel on appropriations on Thursday slashed the proposed 2025 budget of the OVP from P2.03 billion to P733 million, a figure similar to the budget given to the office of former Vice President Leni Robredo in 2022.
Lawmakers said that they intend to realign the slashed funds from the OVP budget to other government agencies like the Department of Health and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
READ: House panel slashes VP Duterte’s budget by over 60%