Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri (File video from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — The fate of the budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) remains uncertain in the Senate, but some senators have already signified their intent to push for the increase in the agency’s 2025 funding.
Former Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri told reporters about this possibility in a Kapihan sa Senado forum on Thursday.
Zubiri said while no final discussions have been made, talks within the chamber regarding the OVP budget for next year are somehow positive.
“We have several colleagues that already said they want to increase the budget allocation,” he said.
“I think Sen. Joel Villanueva and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada… So we’ll just wait for the final outcome. We will be discussing it on the floor. It’s too premature at this point in time to say what should happen and what would happen,” said Zubiri.
“The appetite of the senators… I’m not saying me. I’m saying the discussions on the lounge is to increase nang kaunti ang budget ng OVP,” he emphasized.
(The appetite of the senators? I’m not saying it’s me. I’m saying the discussions on the lounge are to increase the OVP’s budget a bit.)
At this point, Zubiri was pressed to disclose whether or not the Senate would revert the OVP’s 2025 budget to P2.037 billion, but he said he was referring to the P733.1 million approved by the House of Representatives.
“Hindi. Hindi. Yung P700 million na in-approve ng House. Dadating sa amin ‘yan 700 million eh. So yung appetite ng ibang senador dito sa Senado is dagdagan pa nang kaunti,” said Zubiri.
(No. I mean the P700 million approved by the House. It will arrive to us in P700 million. So the appetite of some senators here in the Senate is to increase it a bit.)
The House of Representatives on September 12 recommended slashing the proposed OVP budget of P2 billion for 2025 to only P733 million.
Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo, the panel’s senior vice chairperson, said the OVP budget was cut by P1.29 billion.
She added that lawmakers intend to realign this fund to other government agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Health.
For now, Zubiri said it is still premature to tell whether or not the Senate will grant the OVP its 2025 budget request of P2 billion.
“Hindi ko masabi ‘yun. Yan ang usap-usapin lang ng mga nandoon. Hindi ko nakausap. Ang the best person to ask there is the chairperson of the finance committee, who is Sen. Grace Poe,” he said.
(I cannot say that. I’m just basing it on the talks within the lounge. I did not talk with them. The best person to ask is the finance committee chairperson, Sen. Grace Poe.)