Sen. Grace Poe —Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate has adopted the House of Representatives’ decision to give the Office of the Vice President (OVP) only P733 million instead of its requested P2.03-billion budget for next year.
This was confirmed by Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the Senate finance committee.
“We reached out several times to the [OVP] requesting them to submit documents to clarify issues regarding their budget but they have not submitted as of today. So, we decided to retain the GAB (General Appropriations Bill) amount pending submission and review of these documents,” she told reporters shortly before she delivered her speech sponsoring the general principles of the 2025 budget on Tuesday.
READ: House finalizes P1.3-B cut in 2025 OVP budget
“While we cannot account for movements in the figures on an apples-to-apples basis, we can say that we retained the original budget for the relevant item in DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) while we increased further the item under the DOH (Department of Health) budget,” she added.
The Senate begins on Wednesday its marathon plenary deliberations on the proposed P6.352-trillion budget for next year.
The House of Representatives earlier made good on its promise to reduce Vice President Sara Duterte’s proposed P2.03-billion budget for next year by P1.3 billion—an amount that has been realigned to the DSWD and DOH.
Earlier, the lower chamber agreed to cut Duterte’s 2025 budget, citing overlapping functions between the OVP and other agencies such as the DSWD and DOH, as well as the steep rental expenditures incurred by the OVP’s satellite offices.
Priorities blueprint
Poe, in her sponsorship speech, underscored the imperative for accountability in every peso spent in the budget.
“This budget isn’t just a series of numbers. It’s a blueprint of our priorities, the most important investment of our government, and the heartbeat of our nation’s future,” she pointed out.
“Under this Senate committee report, every peso has been accounted for. With each line item, we asked all agencies, ‘What do we want to happen to this? Accountability is not just a choice; it is our duty,” she stressed.
“This budget isn’t just numbers on a spreadsheet; it’s a promise to every Filipino that their own government serves and works for them, not the other way around. Sure, the zeros may be overwhelming, but each one represents real support for our people and reflects our priorities. In the days ahead, we’ll break down the specifics, item by item, line by line to ensure that every peso works for everyone,” she added.