REPRESENTATIVE Leila de Lima, representing Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Partylist, proposed an amendment to the 2026 national budget, seeking to reduce the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) budget from P889.24 million to its 2025 level of P733.2 million, a reduction of P156 million or 17.5%.
During the period of amendments of the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (HGAB) on October 10, 2025, de Lima explained her proposed amendment, emphasizing that every peso in the budget belongs to the people. She stated that her call for accountability was not driven by hostility, but by a duty to the Constitution, the people, and the truth.
De Lima criticized Vice President Sara Duterte’s repeated refusal to face the House, calling it an “insult” and a disregard for the duty of accountability.
“VP Sara Duterte’s repeated refusal to face this chamber is an insult. It spits on the duty of accountability, while she clings to millions in public funds she refuses to explain,” de Lima stated. She likened the situation to parents being rebuffed by a child who refuses to explain how they spent their allowance, calling it a deliberate disrespect to Congress and the people.
De Lima clarified that the proposed budget reduction was a form of discipline, not an attempt to undermine the OVP. She contrasted it with actions taken by VP Duterte’s father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, who used the budget to target the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). De Lima stated that her amendment was intended to challenge entitlement, confront arrogance, and demand respect for the institution of Congress and the budget process. She concluded by formally proposing the budget reduction.
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