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/File

MANILA -- The Office of the Vice President on Monday disclosed that Vice President Sara Duterte has sent a letter to the House of Representatives earlier this month, saying she "leaves the deliberation of our budget proposal in the plenary entirely to the pleasure of the House of Representatives."

The OVP released to the media a copy of Duterte's letter to Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong hours before the agency's scheduled budget deliberations in the House plenary.

Duterte wrote the letter on September 11, 2024 in response to Adiong's request to meet ahead of the plenary debates, where the Lanao del Sur lawmaker would sponsor and defend the OVP's budget.

"As communicated to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Chair of the Committee on Appropriations, the OVP has duly submitted all the required documents to the Committee pertaining to its budget request for the upcoming year. Furthermore, a comprehensive overview of our proposals was presented during my presentation on 27 August 2024," Duterte said in her letter.

"In consideration of the foregoing, the OVP leaves the deliberation of our budget proposal in the plenary entirely to the pleasure of the House of Representatives," she said.

Vice President Sara Duterte's letter to Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong. Handout/OVP

It was also on September 11 when Duterte's office released a taped interview, where the Vice President said that she and her office can function even without a budget.

"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.

READ: OVP ready to work even without a budget, Sara Duterte says after snubbing House hearing

Duterte had snubbed several House budget hearings after a heated exchange with lawmakers over the OVP's 2025 funding proposal, particularly the pitch to allocate P10 million for production of a children's book she wrote for Filipino students.

The Vice President had accused several lawmakers of using the budget process to attack her ahead of the 2025 midterm elections and the 2028 national elections, an allegation which the House leadership denied.

READ: Sara Duterte says ‘spoiled brat' tag part of political attack

READ: Sara Duterte no show at House OVP budget hearing

The House Committee on Appropriations eventually decided to slash the OVP's 2025 budget to P733 million from the original proposal of P2 billion.

The P1.29 billion that was removed from the OVP's proposal will be realigned to programs under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health, Appropriations Vice Chairperson Stella Quimbo earlier said.

READ: House panel recommends massive budget cut for OVP

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