Senators discuss increasing OVP budget – Gatchalian

Metro Manila, Philippines — Senators are discussing increasing the budget of the office of Vice President Sara Duterte for 2025, a lawmaker said on Saturday, Nov. 16.

In a radio interview, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said there are talks of a budget increase, but he did not mention by how much.

“Ang vice president, marami rin lumalapit at humingi ng tulong sa kanya. Nationwide ‘yan. Kapag umiikot ang isang vice president [sa] mga kababayan natin, tutulong ka dahil vice president ka. ‘Yan ay isa sa mga bagay na pinag-uusapan namin na ang ating vice president, dapat meron rin kakayahan na tumulong,” Gatchalian said.

[Translation: Many people come to the vice president to ask for help. That’s nationwide. When a vice president visits our fellow Filipinos, she will help because she is the vice president. That is one of the things we are discussing, that the vice president should also have the capacity to help.]

The Senate has approved the P733 million Office of the Vice President (OVP) budget for next year, which is the same amount that the House of Representatives passed.

The budget has been reduced by P1.3 billion after Duterte and her staff refused to attend the lower chamber’s deliberations.

Duterte said the budget cut would lay off about 200 workers.

Aside from the OVP budget, Gatchalian said he is pushing for the budget hike for the Interagency Task Force against Human Trafficking at Interagency Task Force against Online Sexual Abuse of Children.

After the Senate approves its version of the General Appropriations Bill, a bicameral conference committee will convene, including House members, to reconcile the differences.

READ: Makabayan bloc seeks public access to bicam budget hearings

NewsWatch Plus correspondent Daniza Fernandez contributed to this report.