House cuts OVP's 2026 budget to P733M

The House of Representatives has reduced the 2026 budget of the Office of the Vice President from its original proposal of P889.2 million to P733.2 million, citing Vice President Sara Duterte's refusal to defend the proposed appropriation before the House plenary.

The amount is the same as the OVP's 2025 budget.

It was House Deputy Minority Leader and ML party-list lamwaker Leila de Lima who made the motion to reduce budget during the period of amendments on the proposed P6.793 trillion 2026 budget for 2026, a motion seconded by the majority of House members led by House Majority Leader Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos.

“Public money is not a toy. Until the Vice President learns respect, we must act like a parent that disciplines a brat,” de Lima said. 

"I know this move will generate varied reactions. It might even be exploited by certain camps to elicit sympathy for Vice President Sara. Diyan naman sila magaling ....sa kadramahan. Pero hindi pwedeng mangibabaw ang drama sa kung ano ang tama, sa kung ano ang makatwiran, at sa kung ano ang nararapat sa pagtatanggol sa dignidad ng institusyong ito at ng proseso ng pambansang budget," de Lima added. 

(They are good at theatrics. But theatrics cannot prevail over what is right, what is just, what is fitting for fighting for the dignity  of this institution and the budget process.)

De Lima said the refusal of the Vice President to justify her office’s proposed budget after her conditions were not met “spits on the duty of accountability.”

“Every peso in this budget is the people's money. And when we demand accountability, we do so not out of hostility, but out of duty. Duty to the Constitution, duty to the people, and duty to the truth. Let me then again put this on record. VP Sara Duterte's repeated refusal to face this chamber is an insult,” de Lima said.

During the House Committee on Appropriations deliberations on the OVP budget, Duterte refused to answer questions about her office’s use of P625 million allocation of confidential funds, saying this is a subject of the pending impeachment case against her and will compromise national security.

Vice President Duterte, however, said her office spent P7.4 million for the security and personnel deployed during her foreign trips.—LDF, GMA Integrated News