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MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives’ final version of the proposed P6.352 trillion national budget for 2025 maintained the suggested budget cut for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co said.
Co, chairperson of the House committee on appropriations, said on Wednesday that OVP’s budget at the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) finalized by the small committee is at P733.1 million.
This means OVP’s budget is P1.3 billion lower than the P2.037 billion proposed by the executive, under the 2025 National Expenditures Program.
“As the government faces increasing pressure to adopt more fiscally responsible practices, reducing the OVP’s redundant spending could be a key step toward ensuring more efficient governance,” Co said.
Co was referring to OVP’s use of 10 satellite offices, which are leased for P53 million — which he was a steep increase from the P4.1 million spent annually by former vice president Leni Robredo.
“These satellite offices are performing functions that should fall under existing government agencies, leading to unnecessary duplication and higher costs,” Co said.
“By eliminating redundant roles, government can save as much as P1.3 billion, which constitutes a significant portion of the OVP’s proposed P2.037 billion budget for 2025. The House believes this amount could be more effectively allocated to existing agencies, enabling them to extend their services to the public more efficiently,” he added.
The P733.1 million budget for OVP was proposed by the committee on appropriations after Vice President Sara Duterte refused to directly answer lawmakers’ questions on her office’s confidential fund usage at the August 27 hearing; and after neither Duterte nor any OVP representative attended the subsequent hearing last September 10.
Last September 12, appropriations senior vice chairperson and Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo assured the public that funds allocated to the OVP and intended for social services were just transferred to agencies that can implement programs better.