House leader mulls slashing OVP’s 2025 budget

A House leader is determined to propose a cut in the 2025 budget of Vice President Sara Duterte's office in light of allegations that she misused P125 million of her contentious confidential funds in 2022.

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) is proposing a P2.037-billion allocation for the fiscal year 2025, an 8.05 percent higher than this year's budget of P1.88 billion.

Duterte intends to use the P2.037 billion funding for various projects of her office, including the children’s book “Isang Kaibigan” and social services programs.

House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro did not buy such a proposal, asserting that the budget for social services initiatives should be channelled directly to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which is solely responsible for the same program.

“The DSWD has the mandate and expertise to handle social services. By funnelling the budget to the DSWD, we can ensure that the funds are used properly and reach those who need them most," Castro said in a message to reporters on Sunday.

Castro's refusal was anchored on the Commission on Audit's finding on the budget utilization of Duterte's P125 million confidential funds in 2022, of which P73.287 was disallowed by the state auditing body.

Based on the CoA's notice of disallowance, the OVP spent P69.8 million on reward payments, of which P10 million was in the form of cash, P34.857 million on various goods, and P24.93 million worth of medicines.

CoA flagged the spending due to the absence of "documents evidencing the success of information gathering and/or surveillance activities" to support the said rewards.

The remaining P3.5 million was used to pay for chairs, desktop computers, and printers, but the OVP failed to specify that the said funds were intended for confidential operations or activities, according to state auditors.

“Given the previous misuse of confidential funds, we must ensure that public funds are allocated and utilized properly. Hindi natin pwedeng payagan na maglaan ng hiwalay na budget para sa social services sa isang opisina na may kaduda-dudang track record (We cannot allow the allocation of a separate budget for a department that has a dubious track record),” Castro lamented.

She added, "The CoA’s findings are clear. Kung hindi kayang i-manage nang tama ang ₱73 million na confidential funds, paano natin pagkakatiwalaan ng mas malaking halaga (If the OVP cannot properly manage its P73 million confidential funds, how can we entrust them an even higher budget?)This is about protecting taxpayers’ money from potential misuse."

At the OVP's budget hearing last Tuesday, Duterte defied members of the House Committee on Appropriations, who took turns questioning how she utilized her multi-million confidential fund, which she suspected was part of their "script."

If not repeatedly refusing to answer queries, Duterte would provide generic responses, which irked panel members and later resulted in their verbal sparring.

Duterte repeatedly told lawmakers that the issue of confidential funds had nothing to do with her office's proposed 2025 budget and that she no longer requested such.

House members, however, asserted that they have all the right to scrutinize Duterte's budget utilization as part of their oversight function, including to ensure that the budget enactments are strictly if not reasonably implemented.

“We asked, and the Vice President could not give clear answers. ‘Sinimot’ niya ang confi funds pero ayaw niyang i-explain kung paano ginamit (She consumed entirely the confidential funds but she doesn’t want to explain how it was used)," Casto stressed.

“How can we, as lawmakers, justify giving her more funds when she cannot even account for the money she has already spent? Again, this is not about “politicizing” — ito ay tungkol sa pagprotekta ng pinaghirapan, pinagtrabahuan at pinagpawisang pera ng bawat Pilipino (this is about protecting the hard-earned money of every Filipino),” she concluded.

Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, meanwhile, underscored the principle of separation of powers ensuring that no branch of government operates unchecked. 

"When it comes to the oversight of public funds, this principle must yield to the need for transparency and accountability. The Vice President was given every opportunity to explain the spending but chose instead to obstruct the process," Luistro remarked.

Further, she pointed out that the authority of members of Congress to review the spending of public funds is something that should not be called into question.

"This scrutiny is not just about legality; it is about ensuring that the people’s money is used in a manner that truly benefits the public. When an official attempts to hide spending details, it undermines the very trust that the public places in its leaders," she concluded. 

The OVP's P125 million confidential funds, which were spent in merely 11  days in December 2022, were part of the P221.42 million contingent fund of the Office of the President transferred to Duterte's office allegedly without congressional authorization.

Opposition lawmakers earlier claimed that the relocation of funds was unconstitutional since there was no line item for such in the 2022 General Appropriations Act.