At least 8 senators want to increase OVP budget – Villanueva

Metro Manila, Philippines – Senator Joel Villanueva said at least seven colleagues support his call to increase the Office of the Vice President's budget for next year, following a significant cut in the versions approved by the House and a Senate committee.

“I've spoken to like [seven] members na pareho ng aking pananaw na increase-an ang budget ng Office of the Vice President mula doon sa GAB (General Appropriations Bill) na ipinasa ng Congress,” Villanueva told reporters on Friday, without naming names.

[Translation: I've spoken to around [seven] members who share my view that the budget of the Office of the Vice President should be increased from what was approved in the General Appropriations Bill passed by Congress.]

“We have yet to discuss the exact amount. Pero (But), for me, at least a hundred, a hundred fifty (million) is decent enough to increase the budget. So, we'll see,” he added.

The OVP’s proposed budget stands at P733 million after a cut of P1.3 billion in the General Appropriations Bill as approved by the House of Representatives. The Senate committee on finance adopted the reduced amount.

During plenary deliberations, Senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa called for the full or partial restoration of the P2 billion allotted for the OVP in the National Expenditure Program submitted by Malacañang.

Senate panel chairperson Grace Poe noted that such changes could be proposed during the period of amendments next week.

Villanueva said his “main consideration” is the 200 OVP personnel who could lose their jobs if the budget is reduced, as previously highlighted by Vice President Sara Duterte.

“We should not be looking at the personalities involved here. So, I'm looking at the office, and I feel like we need to put some more social funds na pwedeng gamitin ng ating vice president. Kasi vice president's office yan (that our vice president can use. Because that’s the vice president’s office),” he added.

“Para sa akin lang kasi yung more than half na in-slash doon sa President's Fund, President's Fund ng NEP, hindi ko ho talaga makita na makatarungan sa isang opisina na itinuturing nating pangalawang pinakamataas na opisina ng pamahalaan,” Villanueva also said.

[Translation: For me, the more than half that was slashed from the President's Fund in the NEP, I really cannot see it as fair for an office that we consider the second-highest office in the government.]

In a separate press conference on Thursday, Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros stated that she would vote against any proposal to increase the OVP budget, noting that the allocation is enough to fund its programs and operations unless there is a compelling reason to change her stance.