Vice President Sara Duterte admitted that the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) free bus rides, financial assistance, and operations of its satellite offices will be affected by the budget cut adopted by the Senate in next year’s national budget proposal.
Vice President Sara Duterte speaks to the media during a press conference held in Bacolod City on Nov. 11, 2024. (OVP screenshot)
The official, though maintaining that her office could adjust to the smaller budget in 2025, lamented that the satellite offices might cease to operate beginning January 2025.
“Sa ngayon, hindi namin masagot kung mag-operate pa ang satellite office by January 1 (For now, we cannot ensure that the satellite offices will still operate by January 1),” she said, adding that they would have to wait for the “final budget” of the OVP once the General Appropriations Act (GAA) has been passed.
“So once lumabas ang budget for next year, malalaman namin kung ano ‘yung budget ng (Once the budget for next year is passed, we will know the budget of the) Office of the Vice President and then we will adjust accordingly,” she added during a press briefing at the OVP satellite office in Bacolod City on Monday, Nov. 11.
The Senate Committee on Finance has adopted the lower chamber’s version of the P6.352-trillion General Appropriations Bill for 2025, wherein only P733 million was allocated for the OVP, a far cry from its more than P2-billion budget proposal for next year.
While the OVP’s satellite offices are still operating and will continue to do so until the end of this year, Duterte shared she’s unsure of the changes that will come in 2025.
Currently, the OVP has 10 satellite offices in Cebu, Tacloban, Davao, Zamboanga, Surigao, Dagupan, Cotabato City, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Isabela, and Bicol Region.
It also has two extensions offices in Lipa, Batangas and Tondo, Manila.
If the budget cuts push through, Duterte admitted that even the operations of the OVP’s “Libreng Sakay” program will be affected.
“But we can adjust. Sanay naman ako sa (I’m used to) adjustments when I was mayor of Davao City,” she assured, adding that they can spread out their resources to ensure that the programs will still run.
The OVP’s “Libreng Sakay” program, which sought to augment public transportation during rush hour, runs in Metro Manila, Cebu City, Lapu-lapu, Mandaue, Bacolod, and Davao City.