House Appro chair eyes transfer of OVP social services budget to other agencies

The chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations on Tuesday said he will recommend that funds proposed by the Office of Vice President for social services be transferred instead to line agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Education.

At the briefing for the P2.037 billion budget of the OVP, where VP Sara Duterte or his representatives were absent, appropriations committee chairman and Ako-Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co recalled the poor track record of VP Duterte in handling public funds.

He cited as examples the P125 million confidential funds of the OVP that was spent in just 11 days in 2022 and the more than P12 billion DepEd expenses that were either suspended or disallowed by the Commission on Audit in its 2023 annual report.

“Amid all these funds misuse and apparent corruption, should we still entrust her with another P2 billion in 2025?” Rep. Co asked fellow lawmakers, many of whom expressed disappointment over VP Duterte’s absence during the budget briefing, as well as the video message she released a day earlier that took a swipe at congressmen. 

"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 lawmaker.

Committee members balked at the effort of Sagip Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta to abruptly end the budget briefing, harping on tradition and inter-branch courtesy in the passage of the budget of the Office of the President and OVP. 

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

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