VICE President Sara Duterte has warned that 200 employees from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) could lose their jobs due to a budget shortfall for 2025.
Senators approved only P733 million for the OVP’s expenses in just 10 minutes, adopting the House resolution and cutting P1.3 billion from the original P2.43 billion budget proposal for 2025.
VP Sara said the significant budget cut would not only affect the OVP’s programs and projects but also the jobs of 200 service personnel.
“We have OVP personnel whose budget sources have been removed,” VP Sara said.
“So there are really OVP personnel, particularly in satellite offices, who will lose their jobs,” she added.
Reports indicate that VP Sara attended the Senate plenary deliberations on the proposed 2025 OVP budget, a stark contrast to her absence from most House committee-level hearings and House plenary deliberations, which ultimately led to the budget cuts for her office.
She also said she needs to wait for the final version of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) before deciding which projects and programs to stop and close permanently.
“The closure of the satellite office is a possibility depending on the budget we get in GAA,” VP Sara said.
Currently, the OVP has 10 satellite offices in Cebu, Tacloban, Davao, Zamboanga, Surigao, Dagupan, Cotabato City, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Isabela, and the Bicol Region.
It also has two extension offices in Lipa, Batangas and Tondo, Manila.
However, VP Sara emphasized that the OVP will operate regardless of the resources allocated to it for the next year.
“Whatever is left, if there is anything left, we will continue with what we can afford to provide services with the given budget,” she said.
Reports indicate that the House of Representatives has completely cut P1.3 billion from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) budget and transferred the funds to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DOH), according to House Appropriations committee chair and Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co.
Co said the small committee tasked with conducting individual and institutional amendments to the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) decided to transfer the cut OVP budget to other agencies.
P646.5 million will be transferred to the DSWD-Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program, while another P646.5 million will go to the DOH-Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program.
Only P733.198 million was allocated from the proposed P2.037 billion budget for the OVP.
Co explained that there were overlapping expenses found in the OVP budget, one of which he cited was rental expenditures for the 10 satellite offices, which amounted to P53 million in 2023, compared to P4.1 million during the time of former Vice President Leni Robredo.
He also said that while 1.5 million beneficiaries were assisted by the OVP for their medical, burial, and relief programs, more people could be helped if the funds were transferred to the DOH and DSWD.
