THE House of Representatives committee on appropriations has voted unanimously to reduce by more than half the budget of the Office of the Vice President Sara Duterte for next year due largely to redundant social programs and overextended offices.
Marikina City Rep. Stella Quimbo, senior committee vice chairperson, told a news conference today that the panel decided to recommend a reduction of about P1.3 billion, from the proposed P2.037 billion to P733 million.
She said the cuts came from allocations for financial assistance, professional services, which is the budget language for consultants, for utilities, supplies and materials, and rentals/leases.
However, she said the appropriation for “personal services,” meaning salaries, was retained.
“We are not touching that, we are preserving jobs in the OVP,” she said.
She added that the entire financial assistance (FA) fund of the OVP of P947 million would be transferred to the AICS (Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and medical assistance program of the Department of Health (DOH), with the two agencies getting an almost equal share of about P646 million.
Quimbo pointed out that OVP’s FA fund is the source of money for those seeking burial, medical, transportation, and similar aid.
She stressed that the OVP and beneficiaries of those projects could still access the same funds that would be transferred to the DSWD and DOH by communicating their requests to the two departments.
She said based on a report of the Commission on Audit, “di nagamit ng mabuti ang pondo at may redundancy ang mga programa, maraming problema sa implementation.”
“Ilipat na lang ang funds sa DSWD at DOH and we will ensure na meron syang sapat na allocation doon hanggang doon sa kayang ma-implement ng opisina nila,” she said.
“Nakita at dama din naman din natin na subok na ang DSWD at DOH sa mga programang ito kaya kung ito ay makakatulong lalo na mas mapalawak ang pag-aabot ng tulong sa recipients, bagay na hindi naging klaro sa mga programa dati sa OVP base sa COA report,” Quimbo said.
The Marikina lawmaker added that the OVP was also found to be maintaining 10 satellite offices and two extension offices.
“We want them to return to the spending level in 2022, when the OVP maintained just one office,” she said.
She revealed that “rental/lease” allocation would be cut from P80 million to P32 million.
She said the reductions “are just recommendations of the committee on appropriations” chaired by Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, and are subject to the approval of the House of Representatives when the chamber starts plenary debates on the proposed 2025 national budget on September 16.
She said the proposed outlay would still have to go through a long process.
“Magkakaroon pa ng isa pang round ng amendments ng budget amounts (sa plenary), at ito yung magiging recommendation namin ng (House) to the Senate. Matapos ang senate approval, meron pang bicameral (committee) approval. Babalik ulit sa (House) at Senate for ratification. And then for President's approval,” she said.
She added that the President has the power to resort to a line-veto or rejection of proposed appropriations.
“So kitang kita po natin na napakahaba ng proseso at napakaraming tao na involved sa budget approval,” she emphasized.
It would be up to the agencies to decide how they would use the funds allocated to them by Congress and the President, she said.
“Budget execution is entirely by the executive (branch),” she said.
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