The House of Representatives reduced the proposed 2026 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to ₱733.2 million after Vice President Sara Duterte repeatedly refused to attend budget hearings to defend her office’s spending plan.
Lawmakers said the move was in response to Duterte’s continued absence during deliberations on the proposed ₱889.2-million OVP budget.
The new amount is equal to the OVP’s 2025 budget, reflecting a cut of ₱156 million or 17.5 percent.
During the period of amendments on the proposed ₱6.793-trillion national budget for 2026, House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos of Ilocos Norte seconded the proposal of Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima of the ML party-list to revert the OVP’s allocation to its 2025 level.
De Lima said the Vice President’s repeated refusal to appear before Congress showed disrespect toward the House and violated the principle 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,” De Lima said.
She emphasized that the Vice President’s continued absence was an affront to legislators and the budget process.
“Let me then again put this on record: VP Sara Duterte’s repeated refusal to face this chamber is an insult. It spits on the duty of accountability, while she clings to millions in public funds she refuses to explain,” she added.
The OVP’s budget became one of the most controversial items in the national spending plan due to questions over transparency and the Vice President’s nonattendance at committee hearings.
Lawmakers said the reduction serves as a reminder that all government offices are subject to congressional oversight and must justify the use of public funds.
