Vice President Sara Duterte attends a hearing for the Office of the Vice President's 2025 budget at the House of Representatives on August 27, 2024.  Photo courtesy of the House of Representatives 

MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte said her office was “ready to work even without a budget,” after she  skipped the House of Representatives hearingon its 2025 proposed funding. 

In a video taped on Sept. 4 and uploaded on Wednesday, Duterte said the Office of the Vice President (OVP) was aware of talks of “defunding” its P2-billion budget proposal for next year. 

“Narinig din namin na mayroong defunding… na posibleng piso lang ang budget na ibigay sa OVP,” she said. “Handa kami, handa ako na magtrabaho kahit walang budget.”  

“Maliit lang yung opisina namin, maliit lang yung operations namin kaya kayang-kaya namin magtrabaho kahit walang budget,” she added.

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OVP’S BUDGET MAY BE SLASHED, BUT NOT ZEROED

The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives wants to remove some P1 billion from the OVP’s proposed 2025 budget because most of its projects are “redundant,” ACT Teacher’s party-list Rep. France Castro told ANC’s Headstart.

“Mukhang solved na yung Committee [on Appropriations] na mabawasan yung budget niya… Ito yung mga socio-economic projects niya na redundant or duplication with the other agencies,” Castro said, referring to the OVP’s programs including medical and burial assistance.

“Kami naman din yung P10 million budget niya for self-serving books ay tatanggalin din natin yan baka ilipat natin sa DepEd,” she said.

“We will be adding that to the budget of the Department of Education for the text books or any other materials related to reading,” she added.

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Castro was referring to the children’s book “Isang Kaibigan”, which Duterte authored to distribute to students. The book was earlier criticized online after lawmakers and experts cited some grammar errors and questioned the motive for including a photo of the Vice President in the educational material.

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The House Committee on Appropriations has yet to finalize the total amount that would be stripped from the OVP’s 2025 budget, but Duterte’s office is not expected to receive a “zero budget,” Castro said.

“Personally ayoko rin yun… Ayaw naman nating ma-zero… That is unfair naman,” she said.

“Isipin din natin yung mga personnel sa Office of the Vice President, their benefits and other expenses,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa said he sees a possible stalemate between the Senate and the House of Representatives over the OVP budget. 

He reasoned that many of his colleagues might stand by Duterte's budget. 

“I am sure yung aking mga kasamahan sa Senado will stand by the time honored tradition yung top 2 offices of the government, Office of the President and Office of the Vice President ay bibigyan naman yan ng kaukulang respeto,” Dela Rosa said in a press conference. 

“Most likely kung walang magi-give in, pagdating sa bicam, what will happen? …Stalemate talaga," he said. 

‘POLITICAL ATTACKS, IMPEACHMENT TALK NOT NEW’

Duterte claimed that moves to defund the OVP were part of the political attacks against her.

“Alam naman namin na kaparte yan ng pag-atake kaya kami tutuloy-tuloy lang kami sa kailangan naming gawin para sa bayan,” the Vice President said.

“Kung makikita natin sa kasaysayan, laging inaatake ang Vice President dahil siya yung tinitingnan na mga tao na baka susunod na magiging presidente so lahat ng gustong maging presidente ay uunahin nilang atakihin talaga ang Vice President,” she said.

Duterte also addressed talk of a possible impeachment case against her.

“Hindi na bago ang usapin ng pag-impeach sa akin. Kung babalik tayo noong nakaraang taon ay nagsalita na si France Castro noong November 2023, nagsabi na siya, ‘Ay, pinag-uusapan namin ang impeachment ni Inday Sara,’” she said.

“Tuloy-tuloy lang ‘yan na pinag-uusapan openly diyan sa House of Representatives, ang impeachment at lagi nandiyan sa gitna si France Castro sa usaping impeachment sa akin,” she said.

So far, there are no “serious discussions” about Duterte’s impeachment among House lawmakers, Castro said.

“The Makabayan bloc is studying now the possibility of filing an impeachment pero hindi sa amin manggagaling kasi gusto natin na manggagaling yun sa ating mga kababayan,” the ACT representative said.

Lawmakers are looking at the ground of betrayal of public trust over the misuse of her confidential funds, Castro said, citing the Commission on Audit’s notice of disallowance against Duterte’s use of the OVP’s confidential funds.

“Yung pondo na pinagkatiwala sa iyo ay na-misuse o hindi ka naman dapat may ganoong pondo pero ginamit mo,” Castro said.

“Titimbangin pa din natin baka tama nga na lumabas siyang underdog,” she said.

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Duterte denied that she misused funds either from the OVP or during her tenure as Education chief.

“Unang-una, wala, walang misuse ng confidential funds, walang misuse ng funds ng Department of Education,” the Vice President said.

“Pinipilit nilang gawan ng basehan ‘yung mga sinasabi nila na impeachment sa akin. Kaya hindi bago ‘yan na pinag-uusapan ang impeachment, kasama yan sa plano nila laban sa akin,” she said.

VP Duterte says no misuse of OVP confidential funds

The House Appropriations panel is expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss if it should proceed with another budget hearing for the OVP.

On Tuesday, Duterte sent a letter to the House leadership, saying she would “defer entirely to the discretion and judgment of the Committee regarding our budget proposal for the upcoming year.”

Duterte’s allies in the House earlier pushed the Committee on Appropriations to pass the Office of the Vice President’s 2025 budget, citing traditional courtesy of passing the OVP’s funding without much questions.

But the motion to pass the OVP’s budget was overruled after 45 members voted against it, while only three supported the motion.

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-- With a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News