Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)

The House of Representatives has finalized its decision to slash P1.3 billion from the proposed 2025 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) under Vice President Sara Duterte. 

Thus, said Committee on Appropriations Chairman Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co said in a statement Wednesday, Oct. 16. 

Co is also part of the so-called small committee that had been tasked to introduce individual and institutional amendments to the P6.352-trillion 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or national budget. 

The 2025 spending plan was approved on third and final reading in the House last Sept. 25, but not before the plenary voted in favor of reducing the proposed OVP budget of P2.037 billion by 63 percent, as earlier recommended by the appropriations panel. 

According to Co, the small committee realigned the P1.3-billion cut to two agencies--the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DOH). 

In particular, a total of P646.5 million will be funneled to the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program, while another P646.5 million will be reallocated to the DOH’s Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program. 

READ AGAIN: 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/9/12/ouch-house-recommends-p1-3-b-slash-to-ovp-budget


Following the budget cut, the OVP's outlay next year is pegged at P733 million, this Oz comparable to the budget received by the OVP during the time of Vice President Duterte's predecessor, Leni Robredo.

Co said the realignments will result lead to significant savings, particularly concerning the OVP’s rental expenditures. 

In 2023, the OVP spent P53 million on leasing 10 satellite offices and two extension offices nationwide. This was a steep increase from the P4.1 million annually spent on office rentals during the term of former Vice President Robredo. 

“These satellite offices are performing functions that should fall under existing government agencies, leading to unnecessary duplication and higher costs,” said the Bicolano. 

He added that some of these offices, which are only manned by a few individuals, are often used for political rather than social service purposes. 

“By eliminating redundant roles, government can save as much as P1.3 billion, which constitutes a significant portion of the OVP’s proposed P2.037 billion budget for 2025. The House believes this amount could be more effectively allocated to existing agencies, enabling them to extend their services to the public more efficiently,” Co stressed.