Vice President Sara Duterte is willing to forego the P500-million confidential funds included in the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) 2023 proposed budget if the House of Representatives decide not to approve it.
“Mr. Speaker, if I may, your honor, the Honorable Vice President has just shared it with me now she is saying she defers to the decision of the majority of this honorable office,” Davao de Oro 1st district Rep. Maria Carmen Zamora, sponsor of the OVP’s budget, said during the plenary debates on the 2023 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) on Thursday, Sept. 22.
This was after Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman questioned the half a billion-peso confidential funds set to be allocated to the OVP for the fiscal year 2023.
Another interpellator, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro said the allocation of such a huge amount was “unprecedented".
Lagman pointed out during the plenary session on the OVP’s budget, which was terminated in less than five minutes at the appropriations committee level, that ensuring national security and peace and order—which is where confidential funds go to—are not the mandate of the Vice President.
“In the spirit of patriotism and frugality, considering the limited fiscal space which resulted to the decrease in the appropriation of most government agencies, could the distinguished sponsor ask the Honorable Vice President if she is willing to forego of her confidential funds?” he asked Zamora.
To which, the Davao de Oro lawmaker explained that Duterte believes she can complement and assist the Office of the President (OP) “in ensuring that all of these be done with the intention of ensuring peaceful and a secured nation".
“It is now our understanding that the Honorable Vice President is not willing to forego not even a single centavo of the P500-million confidential funds allocated in her office,” Lagman argued.
In the one-hour interpellation that included questions from Lagman, Castro, and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel, the OVP was asked to present a “physical and financial plan".
While Castro expressed relief that Duterte will leave the approval of the confidential funds to the discretion of the lower chamber, she also called for the presentation of the financial plan, which will be the basis of the allocation.
“Ang (The) confidential funds masasabi nating (we can say is a) lump sum kaya nga tayo po (that’s why we), Mr. Speaker, we are for the transparency over a huge amount of funds which is unprecedented hindi lang sa (not only in the) amount pero mismong (but) the fact na maglalagay sila ng ganitong pondo (that they will put this kind of fund),” she said.
The party-list lawmaker said the money could be put to better use by other government agencies that truly need such allocation.
Duterte’s request for a P2.3-billion budget for the OVP, which includes the P500-million confidential funds, drew criticisms from opposition lawmakers because it is around three times higher compared to the budget requested for 2022 by former Vice President Leni Robredo.
A huge chunk of the proposed budget—around P2.2 billion—will be allocated to the OVP’s “good governance program", which includes livelihood programs, medical assistance, burial assistance, Libreng Sakay (free rides), and the PagbaBAGo campaign in public schools.