Sara skips Senate OVP budget hearing for first time amid impeachment trial

The Office of the Vice President's (OVP) proposed P785.20 million budget for 2027 swiftly cleared a Senate panel on Tuesday after senators allied with Vice President Sara Duterte moved to extend parliamentary courtesy to the country's second-highest office, wrapping up the proceedings in just 15 minutes.

This came despite Duterte's absence from the hearing, marking the first time she skipped budget proceedings in the upper chamber, where she also faces an impeachment trial.

Senate President Win Gatchalian flagged her absence, noting that it is a long-standing tradition in Congress for agency heads to personally defend their annual budgets before lawmakers.

“May I know where is the Vice President? Traditionally, with budget deliberations, the head of office comes here to defend their budget. You know that. You’ve been here for the last four years,” Gatchalian asked OVP Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez.

“Even last year, when I was the chairman of the finance committee, the Vice President took time to come here to defend their budget. So may I know, for the record, where is our Vice President?” he pressed further.

Lopez said Duterte was in her hometown of Davao City, representing her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, at the inurnment of a former city government official.

Sen. Imee Marcos moved to dispense with further deliberations on the OVP's budget and endorse it for plenary consideration, citing parliamentary courtesy. Sen. Bong Go, also allied with Duterte, seconded the motion.

Parliamentary courtesy is a tradition in Congress in which lawmakers refrain from extensively questioning the budgets of certain high-ranking offices, such as the Office of the President and the OVP.

Lawmakers typically extend the courtesy to these offices, although the practice is not consistently observed.

In 2024, Duterte and her staff also skipped the second round of committee-level budget hearings at the House of Representatives after the vice president clashed with lawmakers questioning her office's budget utilization and confidential funds.

The dispute led to the OVP's budget being reduced from P2.037 billion to P733.198 million.

Senate finance committee chair JV Ejercito subsequently approved the termination of the proceedings, although Gatchalian said he expected Duterte to attend the upcoming plenary deliberations to personally defend her office's budget.

Similarly, Ejercito said it would be best for Duterte to appear during the plenary deliberations. However, he noted that senators would likely “understand” if she skipped them, given the “awkwardness” of the situation as she faces an impeachment trial in the Senate.

The Department of Budget and Management's recommended P785.20 million budget for the OVP was 11 percent lower than its current spending plan of P889 million.

Despite budget cuts in recent years, the OVP said its “Libreng Sakay” program remains operational, with nine buses deployed across various regions, including Metro Manila, Bacolod, Cebu City, Davao and Tacloban.

Meanwhile, its “PagbaBAGo” campaign for learners is reportedly on track to meet its goal of providing essential school supplies to 1 million learners by 2028.