Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)

The House of Committee on Appropriations' per agency deliberations on the P6.352-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2025 was concluded on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 10 with the "conditional termination" of the budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP). 

The conditional termination of the OVP budget discussion--which in itself was a stange occurrence--resulted from Vice President Sara Duterte's aggressive and disrespectful tact toward the House panel during the first hearing on Aug. 27, as well as her outright snub of the second hearing Tuesday. 

But the move was necessary in order to move the discussions on the proposed 2025 national budget forward from the committee to the plenary level. 

Only two agencies had their budgets deferred or postponed ever since the appropriations panel began the marathon deliberations last month---the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the OVP. 

The DMW budget was properly terminated on Monday, Sept. 9, with newly-confirmed DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac in attendance. 

Vice President Duterte was nowhere to be found in the House Tuesday, something that was seen as an affront as the congressmen. 

"I move that we defer termination of the deliberation of the proposed budget of the [OVP] subject to the conditions, either, number one, reduce the proposed budget of the [OVP]; and number two, place certain funds on hold until further discussions are held," Ako-Bicol Party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon, a panel vice chairman, said. 

Presiding officer and appropriations panel senior vice chairperson, Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo approved the motion after no member objected to it. 

"We have a Vice President na nagpa-interview pa po kahapon. At ngayon po, no-show siya budget hearing ng kanyang proposed budget for 2025. I hope in the next year, and in the next generation ay hindi napo ito pamarisan," Bongalon vented. 

(We have a Vice President who even gave an interview yesterday. And now she's a no-show at the hearing of her proposed budget for 2025. I hope in the next year, and in the next generation, that this doesn't get emulated.) 

Bongalon was also the one who moved to adjourn the budget deliberations of the panel. 

Based on the 2025 NEP, the OVP's proposed budget was pegged at P2.037 billion, an increase of eight percent from the current outlay. 

What happens to OVP budget?

Ako-Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, chairman of the appropriations committee, said he will recommend that funds proposed by the OVP for social services be transferred instead to line agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Education (DepEd). 

Co recalled during the proceedings the poor track record of OVP in handling public funds. He cited as examples the P125-million confidential funds of the OVP that was spent in just 11 days in December 2022, and the more than P12-billion expenses in DepEd that were either suspended or disallowed by the Commission on Audit (COA) in its 2023 annual report. 

“Amid all these funds misuse and apparent corruption, should we still entrust her with another P2 billion in 2025?” Co asked his fellow lawmakers in Filipino. 

"Now, should we give her P2 billion that she claims the OVP will use to help the poor? We should give this instead to the right agency. We will not allow even a single peso to again be squandered,” said the usually reserved Bicolano. 

Vice President Duterte spent the past two years as DepEd secretary.  

Co said Vice President Duterte should remember that the Philippines is a democracy. “We are a democracy, not a monarchy—we have don’t have a king or a queen...Our elected officials have no right to treat the representatives of the people as mere subjects.” he said

Co confirmed in a chance interview afterward that the panel members would convene to discuss what will happen to the OVP budget. 

"Mamaya magpe-prepare kami, magmi-meeting po kami ng appro (Later we will prepare, the appro will meet), we will have a more detailed...answer," Co said.

The General Appropriations Bill (GAB)--the legislative equivalent of the NEP-- is expected to be filed by Co and fellow House leaders later this week. Once signed into law, the GAB will become the General Appropriations Act (GAA). 

The House will begin plenary debates on the budget on Monday, Sept. 16, Quimbo earlier said.

Marcoleta invokes 'tradition', but doesn't get his way 

The panel proceedings Tuesday was momentarily stalled by a discussion on whether or not the body should observe the long-held tradition of giving parliamentary courtesy to a high office, like the OVP, by not subjecting its budget to solons' questions. 

"Are we now setting aside this tradition? That's the number one question. Number two, is this committee authorized to set aside the tradition?" SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta asked in a impassioned manifestation, as he argued for the early termination of the OVP budget. 

"Short answer is 'no' to both questions," Quimbo replied. 

Marcoleta then said: "We are called honorables in this House. We cannot he honorables if we cannot honor our own tradition. We are defined by what we believe as a tradition in this House.". 

"So if we are now all amenable that we have kept that tradition, no longer questions are being asked, then I will respectfully move Madam Chair to move to terminate the budget of the OVP for 2025," Marcoleta said. 

But Makabayan solon, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel objected to this, forcing Quimbo to divide the House or call for a vote. Marcoleta's motion ending up being defeated via vote of 3-45 (in favor-not in favor).

The result irked Marcoleta, and said that subjecting his motion to terminate to a vote contradicted the panel's earlier recognition of the House tradition.

Veteran solons balked at their colleague Marcoleta's attempt to abruptly end the budget briefing. 

“Courtesy accorded to the [OVP] would be given if the head of agency is present. But she is not present in today’s hearing,” Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen "Caraps" Paduano said. 

"Congressman Marcoleta [said that] it’s a cherished tradition to approve the budget immediately, but there’s a cherished tradition that when we deliberate the budget of any agency, that the head of agency should be present," Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. said, echoing Paduano's manifestation. 

"Because she is not present, she is actually insulting this sacred institution that should scrutinize the budget of the Vice President. And I do not care even if she is the Vice President, Madam Chair, I will not allow that Congress will be insulted by the head of any agency," added Abante. 

Quimbo would later say that "The highest form of tradition is the will of the majority."

'Young Guns' blast VP Sara 

After witnessing the discussion on tradition at the budget briefing, the younger representatives felt compelled to give their two cents on the matter of Vice President Duterte's absence. 

Bongalon did not mince words, and dubbed the lady official's snub as a sign of weakness and a lack of accountability. “It is disheartening to see the Vice President avoid the scrutiny that comes with public office. Her actions show a lack of respect not only for Congress but for every Filipino,” he said. 

“If she cannot face the very institution responsible for overseeing government funds, how can she claim to serve the people effectively?” Bongalon added. “Para siyang batang nagtatago kapag napapagalitan.” 

(She's like a child who hides after getting scolded.) 

Another "Young Guns" bloc member, Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun, criticized the Vice President’s behavior as not only disrespectful but also deeply unbecoming of someone in her position. 

“Her absence is not just an insult to Congress but to the Filipino people who deserve answers about how their money is being spent. This act of snubbing the budget deliberation reeks of a bratty attitude unbecoming of someone holding the second highest office in the land,” Khonghun said. 

“Dapat siyang humarap at magpaliwanag, hindi umiiwas na parang bata. Hindi ito ang ugali ng isang opisyal na seryoso sa kanyang mandato,” he added. 

For his part, La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V accused the Vice President of undermining the very principles of leadership and public service by refusing to participate in the crucial budget process. 

"Ito ay malinaw na kawalan ng respeto sa proseso ng budget deliberations. Hindi ito ugali ng isang lider na may malasakit sa bayan. Kung walang itinatago, bakit siya umiiwas?” Ortega said. 

(This is clearly a lack of respect for the process of the budget deliberations. This is not the attitude of a leader who has compassion for the nation. Why be evasive, if you have nothing to hide?)