Sara Duterte, OVP still got final chance to defend 2025 budget at House: Quimbo | ABS-CBN

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Sara Duterte, OVP still got final chance to defend 2025 budget at House: Quimbo

Sara Duterte, OVP still got final chance to defend 2025 budget at House: Quimbo

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

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The Office of the Vice President snubs the House appropriations panel's hearing on its proposed 2025 budget on Sep. 10, 2024. Photo courtesy of the House of RepresentativesThe Office of the Vice President snubs the House appropriations panel's hearing on its proposed 2025 budget on Sep. 10, 2024. Photo courtesy of the House of Representatives


MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte and her office still have one chance to show up at the House of Representatives and defend their proposed 2025 budget, Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo said Friday.

According to Quimbo, senior vice chairperson of the appropriations panel, the Office of the Vice President (OVP), specifically Duterte, can still go to their plenary debates and speak through its budget sponsor Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong.

"Meron pa pong isa pang pagkakataon na dumating ang OVP sa plenaryo... Hindi nga lang sila pwede magsalita sa plenaryo. Yung [budget sponsor] lang ang kanilang tagapagsalita, although syempre binubulong naman ng ahensya sa congressman yung sagot," Quimbo said.

Duterte and the entire OVP snubbed the House appropriations panel's second hearing on their proposed P2.1 billion 2025 budget, prompting its members to slash it by more than half down to P733 million.

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3 REASONS FOR BUDGET CUT


Quimbo cited 3 reasons why the appropriations panel members decided to significantly reduce the OVP's 2025 budget.

The first one is the hefty amount the OVP spent on its annual lease of more than 10 satellite offices nationwide, which a lawmaker described as a "waste of money." 

"First, yun nga po kailangan ba nya all these offices, eh pagkakaalam natin kayang-kaya naman ng OVP na isang office lang sana," Quimbo said.

The lawmakers also reiterated their observation that many of OVP's programs were overlapping with other agencies.

"Second, more importantly, nakita natin andami niyang programs na redundant naman po," Quimbo said.

They also noted of the Commission on Audit's findings on OVP's low budget utilization rate as well as their programs that had "implementation problems."

"Pangatlo sa COA finding, hindi naman nagagamit [masyado], low budget utilization... At the same time may mga implementation problems, hindi nalilista ang beneficiaries, kulang sa documentation, problema sa delivery," she said.

For this, Quimbo said the panel members decided to just transfer the P1.29 billion from OVP to other agencies that already have established aid delivery systems in order to avoid wastage of public funds.

"Sabi namin mas maganda siguro ilipat na lang natin yung fund na yan don sa mga programa na subok na tulad ng AICS ng DSWD, malawak na ayuda iyan, at MAIFIP ng DOH, yung nag-iissue ng guarantee letters," Quimbo said.

Although the panel approved the massive budget cut, the more than 300-member Congress can still amend it.

"[It's] subject to plenary debate beginning Monday. Yung 312 members, pagbobotohan, makikilahok sila sa talakayan, so kung merong magsasabi na gusto pa dagdagan ang cut or hindi agree sa cut, yan ay lalabas lahat sa plenaryo," Quimbo said.

After that, the Senate would still have to deliberate on its own, before they reconcile their different versions at the Bicam. The President, who can veto line items in the budget proposal, has the final say.

"So medyo mahaba pa po ang proseso," Quimno said.

Duterte earlier said her office is ready to work in 2025 even with "zero budget."


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