VP Sara ‘ready’ to face OVP 2026 budget deliberation —spox

Vice President Sara Duterte is “ready” to defend her office’s proposed 2026 budget before Congress but her attendance in the upcoming hearings still depends on her schedule, Office of the Vice President (OVP) spokesperson Ruth Castelo said Friday. 

In an interview in Bataan, Castelo said that Duterte has “pencil booked” the initial hearings for the OVP’s budget deliberations set on September 12 at the House of Representatives, and September 15 at the Senate.

“She's ready anytime. Kaya naman po niya talagang harapin ‘yan lahat. Ang magiging deperensya lang po natin nga ay ‘yung sa schedule, ‘yung pag-schedule ng engagements,” the spokesperson said. 

(She's ready anytime. She can really deal with all of that. The only problem may be the schedule of her engagements.) 

Castelo said that other officials of the OVP, such as those in the finance and human resources departments, as well as assistant secretaries and undersecretaries, are expected to attend the congressional hearings as well.

She also said she has no idea yet who will be the lawmakers to sponsor and defend the OVP’s budget both at the Senate and the House. 

“Wala pong invitation [there’s no invitation]. ‘Yung two dates pa lang po ang nabigay sa atin [only those two dates were given to us]. But if there is any invitation, I'm sure the Office of the Vice President will oblige,” she added. 

The proposed 2026 budget of the OVP has increased by P170 million from the current fiscal year —from P733 million to P903 million. 

The OVP has also not requested any confidential funds for next year. 

Duterte, who was impeached by the House of Representatives in February mainly due to allegations of the misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds and saying she had contracted someone to kill President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr., had said she expects the lower chamber to make cuts to the OVP’s proposed 2026 budget.

Senate finance committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian previously said the proposed 2026 budget of OVP is “feasible” as long as it has no confidential funds.

Meanwhile, House Appropriations committee chairperson Mikaela Suansing said that the panel will always extend courtesy to Duterte and all heads of government agencies during the upcoming budget deliberations, with high hopes that the same courtesy will be given to the House members. —LDF, GMA Integrated News