Vice President Sara Duterte said Monday that her office is seeking a P733 million budget for fiscal year 2026, citing political realities and the desire to avoid her staff being subjected to public embarrassment during congressional deliberations.

“Sa 2026 budget, nag-submit kami ng proposal na P733 million. Hindi siya kalayuan doon sa approximately P700 million na ibinigay noong nakaraang taon. Hindi siya malayo sa 2025 budget ng Office of the Vice President,” Duterte said during a press briefing in Davao City.

Duterte admitted that the OVP deliberately did not propose a higher budget because she is no longer aligned with the Marcos administration.

“Inaasahan ko naman na hindi ibibigay ‘yung budget ng Office of the Vice President dahil nga hindi naman kami kaalyado ng administrasyon at nakita na natin ‘yun noong nakaraang taon,” she said. “’Pag hindi ka sumusunod, hindi ka kaalyado, ay hindi ka mabibigyan ng pondong para sa mga proyekto ng opisina mo.”

She added that only a slight adjustment was made in the proposal to include additional funding for education programs, but the overall amount remained the same.

“Kaya nag-desisyon ako na kung ano ‘yung budget na ibinigay ngayong taon na ito, ay ‘yun din ‘yung budget,” Duterte said. “Naglagay lang kami ng kaunti para sa education.”

The Vice President explained that keeping the budget flat was also a way to shield her staff from the difficult experience of defending their budget requests before lawmakers, particularly given the political climate.