LANAO del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, the budget sponsor of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), on Wednesday said that he will rely on whatever documents he has in his possession to answer queries from fellow House members when the OVP 2025 budget is discussed at the plenary.
This is in case Vice President Sara Duterte does not show up during the plenary deliberations.
Adiong stated this in reply to a question during a press briefing about what would happen if the Vice President decides not to attend the upcoming plenary deliberation on the P2.037 billion OVP proposed budget.
“Well, tayo naman is whatever document that we have in our possession, we will use that. I mean, I cannot extend beyond what is my duty. Kasi hindi naman ho ako ang spokesperson ng opisina ng Vice President. So I cannot infuse my own opinion and my personal stand on matters relating to her budget. I will base my answers on the documents that I have in my possession,” he said.
As a budget sponsor, Adiong has been tasked to defend the proposed budget of the OVP. Duterte did not show up during the Sept. 10 hearing of the House Committee on Appropriations on the OVP budget proposal.
Adiong stressed the need for the OVP to be given funding based on its mandate.
“Ang pinaka importante, the basic po na kailangan intindihin ay paano iyong OVP, kung ano iyong nararapat na ibigay sa kanya para mag-according sa kanyang mandato, basic iyon. Ibibigay po talaga iyon. Halimbawa iyong salaries ng kanyang mga empleyado kailangan talagang bigyan mo iyan, di ba. Kung ano po iyong kailangan ng kanyang opisina para tumakbo, of course kailangan mo ng iyong sinasabi po nating MOOEs. Kung ano man iyong asset, halimbawa pag-aari ng opisina na kailangan i-maintain talagang ibibigay mo iyon,” he said.
He said it is important for a head of an agency to personally attend the budget hearing to explain its other programs that need funding.
“Importante talaga na dumalo ang isang head ng agency para siya po iyong mag-explain sa Kongreso dahil unang-una hindi po na-involve ang miyembro ng House sa pagdedetermina nitong mga priorities na ito. Sila po iyong nag-determine nung priorities na ito and definitely since hindi po alam at hindi po involve ang House sa pag-prepare nitong budget na ito, naturally kayo pong magtatanong at sila po ang mag-e-explain sa atin,” Adiong said.
He echoed the statement of Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre that the good thing about the House is that it is a deliberative body.
“Hindi po iyan dine-desisyunan ng isang tao. So kung ano po iyong wisdom ng nakakarami ay iyon po iyong makikita nating resulta, kung ano man iyong magiging resulta pagdating po sa budget hindi lang po sa opisina ng Vice President, (kundi) opisina po ng ibang ahensya. Pangalawa, kung ano ang ma-approve dito sa House aakyat naman iyan talaga sa bicameral conference (committee). So anything can happen, anything is possible,” Adiong said.
Acidre said they have heard President Marcos loud and clear during the SONA. “Can we keep the budget as it is? So that’s the starting point, we are trying to understand the mindset of the executive, bakit ganito yung allocations? Bakit ganitong amounts? And based on the efficiency of the utilization of the previous years and also the overall socio-economic requirements of the country, looking forward to the economic goals that we’re looking at, yun talaga ang magiging parameters namin,” he said.
“We will be remiss in our duty if we do not look at what are the needs of the people, the economic targets that we have, and also the utilization capacity of the agencies based on the reports that they have made during the budget hearing,” Acidre added.
