MANILA (UPDATE) — The House of Representatives is planning to cut P1 billion from the proposed 2025 budget of Vice President Sara Duterte's office, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro said Wednesday.

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) is seeking a P2.03-billion budget for next year.

Speaking on ANC, Castro said "more or less P1 billion" would be slashed from the OVP budget, mostly from its proposed socioeconomic programs that some lawmakers see as redundant.

Castro said the House Appropriations Committee was already "resolved" to implement the cuts whether or not Duterte attends the next hearing on her office's proposed budget.

"If the vice president wants, she can request funds from various agencies, just like other vice presidents have done," the lawmaker said.

House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Elizaldy Co later in the day said most members of his panel believed the OVP funding should be slashed. 

Co said the Commission on Audit told lawmakers on Tuesday that of the P150 million allocated for OVP's entrepreneurship program Magnegosyo 'Ta Day in 2023, less than 1 percent was utilized. It also confirmed that documentation was lacking for nearly P65 million spent by the OVP on distributed food items last year. But COA noted that the OVP was given time to properly liquidate.

Co said the OVP's budget for providing aid should be realigned to other government agencies delivering social services.

"Magkakaroon kami ng execom ngayon. Hopefully after this, we will have some decision. Marami kaming nag-usap-usap kahapon, talagang hindi mo siya pwedeng pagkatiwalaan," said Co, representative of the AKO BICOL party-list.

"So dapat pera pang-ayuda, pera pang tulong sa taumbayan, ibigay sa agency for checks and balance. Katulad namin sa Kongreso, ang DSWD, na pang ayuda sa mahihirap, dapat ibigay natin sa DSWD, para walang pulitika. Siya ang namumulitika, so talagang binubudol tayo araw-araw." 

READ: House panel defers approval of OVP's 2025 budget anew

READ: Sara Duterte: House 'meddling' with DepEd budget among reasons for resignation

NO TO P1 BUDGET FOR OVP

While there is possibility that the OVP will get a budget cut, some congressmen said they will not recommend a P1 budget for the office, as Vice President Duterte claimed was possible.

"Hindi din natin pwedeng i-disregard na may mga empleyado dyan sa mga opisina ng bawat ahensya. Kailangan din ng pondo pagdating sa mga maintenance nung kanilang mga assets and office equipment, so kailangan din tingnan 'yun. Pero i don't think na 'yung sinasabing piso. We are not going to just ignore the budget that is required for the Office of the Vice President, in order for the office itself and the institution itself to operate," OVP's budget sponsor at the lower house and Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong said.

"We might have differences with the person involved, but the position of the Vice President is an office that we need to respect, 'di ba? We can only hope that the same respect that we give her, or her office is reciprocated. Unfortunately, with her absence, it tells us otherwise, but nonetheless, Congress can always choose to be the better person. We will give what is necessary for the Office of the Vice President... I would support any moves to ensure that the Office of the Vice President is given the funds needed to carry out its constitutional mandate. Anything that is more than that I will leave to the wisdom of my colleagues," House Deputy Majority Leader and TINGOG Party List Representative Jude Acidre added.

"Dapat po iyong maiiwan or yung ibibigay na budget sa Office of the Vice President is still responsive sa mandato po niya. Again, I mentioned the burn rate, iyong utilization rate, halimbawa iyong isang part ng budget niya, kunwari 'yung pagbibigay niya ng assistance, 'yung utilization or iyong burn rate nun 3% lang, bakit mo pa bibigyan ng malaking budget 'yung assistantance na iyon? Ibig sabihin, hindi niya nagagamit. So, bakit mo pa bibigyan ng budget? So, baka pwedeng ibang bagay na lang, iyong sadyang mas nagagamit. Again, it must be responsive to the needs and the mandate of the Office of the Vice President," House Assistant Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Representative Paolo Ortega noted.

Duterte on Tuesday did not show up on the resumption of the lower house's deliberation on her office's proposed 2025 budget, after her tense confrontation with some lawmakers during the first hearing. The House panel that day deferred again the approval of the OVP budget for next year.

In a video released on Wednesday, the Vice President alleged that budget hearings were "scripted." She added that her office was "ready to work even without a budget."

Castro said the Makabayan bloc would push to transfer the proposed P10-million budget for Duterte's "Isang Kaibigan" book to the Department of Education.

She said that the amount would be used for additional textbooks and other reading materials for the education department.

However, Castro noted that no final decision had been made on the proposal to transfer the P10-million budget.

READ: Squid served at House after VP Duterte's office accused of using 'squid tactics'