Metro Manila, Philippines – The proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President next year remained in limbo after Sara Duterte stood up the House of Representatives which scheduled plenary debates on Monday, Sept. 23.
A ranking House member said it might take the final stretch of debates to tackle the proposal. The P6.352-trillion General Appropriations Bill has been scheduled for final approval on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
Plenary deliberations for Vice President Duterte’s proposed P733.2-million budget was set for 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 23.
In a press briefing, House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan said neither Duterte nor her authorized representatives showed up. He added some OVP personnel were present but were not authorized to participate in the deliberations.
“Nagtatanong pa rin kami, nasaan ang ating Vice President? Kasi kanina nakaschedule kami sa 10am at walang magandang explanation. Hanggang ngayon po hinihintay namin sa araw na ito, at sana po ay magkaroon tayo ng pagkakataon na talakayin ang kanyang budget,” Libanan said.
[Translation: We’re still asking where is our Vice President? It was scheduled for 10 a.m. but they didn’t provide a good explanation (why she skipped the deliberations). We’ve been waiting for her until now. We’re hoping we get the chance to tackle her proposed budget]
'NASAAN ANG ATING VICE PRESIDENT?'
House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan says Vice President Sara Duterte's proposed budget was set for plenary deliberations at 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 23.
Lawmakers went ahead and tackled the budget of other agencies hoping that Duterte or… pic.twitter.com/z4PDURssDa
— NewsWatch Plus PH (@newswatchplusph) September 23, 2024
In a chance interview, Libanan said lawmakers may decide to defer action on the OVP budget until Sept. 25.
In a letter released on Monday, the OVP said it will leave it up to the House to decide on the fate of their 2025 budget. Dated Sept. 11, the letter was in response to the invitation of Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Adiong, the OVP budget sponsor, to discuss the agency’s proposal.
Adiong told NewsWatch Plus there was no prior meeting between him and Duterte’s office.
“Iyong pagkalendaryo ng agenda ay nasa committee on rules, which is headed by the majority leader. At ang naging desisyon nila ay i-forego muna hanggang dumating. So kapag ganyan ang mangyari, deferred na deferred tayo, aabutin tayo ng 25 nito,” Libanan said.
[Translation: The calendar of the agenda is with the committee on rules, which is headed by the majority leader. Their decision was to postpone it until she arrives. So if that happens, we will just defer it all over again until the 25th.]
The House appropriations committee earlier substantially reduced the OVP budget from P2.04 billion to just over P733 million, realigning amounts to other agencies.
