Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — In just 11 minutes, the House Committee on Appropriations approved the proposed 2016 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
In previous years, budget hearings for the OVP and the Office of the President do not last long, unlike those of other agencies, which last for many hours.
OVP Chief of Staff Usec. Benjamin Martinez Jr. presented to lawmakers the office’s P230.51 million budget for next year. Only two lawmakers asked questions.
The biggest allocation went to maintenance and other operating expenses, at P179.72 million.
Capital outlay got P2 million for the replacement of ICT equipment, while personal services received P1.25 milion.
Less than a million pesos was slashed from the OVP’s proposed budget of P231 million. Despite the cut, the OVP’s budget for 2016 still went up by 3.5 percent from the P222.6 million it received this year.
Martinez said the OVP’s budget supports the office itself, however a portion of the funds is used as aid in times of calamities.
CNN Philippines’ Patricia de Leon contributed to this report.
