Vice President Sara Duterte said she's already expecting that the proposed P903 million budget of her office for 2026 will be slashed by the House's appropriations committee, or it will be the same as last year's P733 million budget.
"It will be the same as last year. Hindi naman nagbago ang administration eh. Yan pa rin ang Pangulo natin, yan pa rin ang Speaker of the House of Representatives natin," Duterte said in an ambush interview during the Kadayawan Festival in Davao City on Monday afternoon.
"So wala na tayong ma-expect na ibibigay para sa Office of the Vice President. Kung ano yung in-approve ng Department of Budget and Management, yan din yung sinubmit namin, yan din yung nilagay sa NEP. And of course, ang expectation natin is pababaan yan pagdating sa House of Representatives," the Vice President added.
Last year, the House of Representatives decided to cut the budget of the Office of the President from the proposed P2 billion to P733 million due to Duterte's refusal to answer the alleged misuse of confidential funds by the OVP and the Department of Education, which she had concurrently headed.
OVP spokesperson Ruth Castelo earlier said that the OVP's proposed budget for 2026 has increased from P733 million to P903 million.
Duterte also responded to the “habitual absence" claim by her critics, saying that they just throw around accusations without any basis.
"Habitual absence saan? Hindi ko alam kung ano yung pinagsasabi nila ng habitual absence. As I said, ito na naman yung style ng mga tao na anti-Duterte na nagbibigay lang ng akusasyon kung saan-saan at wala namang basehan, walang ebidensya. At hindi nila na lang isina-submit o itinataas sa tamang forum or sa tamang venue yung kanilang mga akusasyon," Duterte said.
Duterte also dared lawmakers to release their travel plans.
"Ilabas din siguro nila yung travels ng mga members of the House of Representatives bago sila magtuturo ng mga tao na constant travel," she said.
"Sa totoo lang, hindi naman ako nag-travel dahil gusto ko mag-travel. Nag-travel ako, lumalabas ako ng bansa dahil frustrated na ang Filipino communities abroad sa nangyayari dito sa ating bayan. At pangalawa, bumibisita ako sa tatay ko na nakakulong," the Vice President added.
Duterte's father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, is currently detained at the International Criminal Court detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands for charges of crimes against humanity for the extrajudicial killings during his administration’s war on drugs.
The Vice President also said that she would answer all allegations regarding the alleged misuse of confidential funds — the grounds for her impeachment — in the proper forum.
"Kung may kaso, sa tamang forum, mag-explain kami. Nagsabi kami noong nag-file sila ng articles of impeachment nila na ready ang defense team para sumagot sa accusations ng prosecutors ng House of Representatives," she said.
"Noong umakyat sa Supreme Court, yung kaso, lahat nang hiningi na Supreme Court ay binigay namin. Doon sa mga tamang forum at sa tamang venue, nagbibigay kami ng saktong sagot at nagbibigay kami ng explanation ng mga accusations," the Vice President added.