Metro Manila, Philippines — Manila Rep. Benny Abante on Wednesday, Aug. 28, said he might make a motion to cut the 2025 budget of Vice President Sara Duterte’s office if she maintains her way of responding to lawmakers.

“I hope she will change kung talagang siya ay concerned sa budget niya [if she’s really concerned about her budget],” Abante told NewsWatch Plus in an interview.

He said he also hoped Duterte would respond properly if she believed that the budget comes from people’s money and the proposal needs to be scrutinized by lawmakers.

This was Abante’s question that Duterte did not directly answer during Tuesday’s budget deliberations — where decorum broke down and eventually led to the deferral of the budget briefing for the Office of the Vice President.

“If the VP is asking for courtesy dapat [it must be] two-way and she extends the same courtesy to any other branch of govt. May decorum at may rules ang Congress [There is decorum and a set of rules in Congress], you should be aware of it Ms. VP and don’t overstep kasi hindi po kayo prinsesa, public servant ka,” a user on X said.

Many netizens also said Duterte should be answering questions of lawmakers.

The committee of appropriations in the House of Representatives is set to deliberate again on the OVP’s budget on Sept. 10.

“Kung di siya magbabago, ganun pa rin ang gagawin niya, e, baka pati ako mag-motion na to give her a zero budget on some other things except personnel services,” Abante said.

[Translation: If she will not change and will continue in repeating her answers, I might make a motion to give her zero budget on some other things except personnel services]

The OVP is asking over ₱2 billion for next year.

Abante said he personally wants to scrutinize the allocation for maintenance and other operating expenses, which is the bulk of the OVP expenditure plan next year.

“Ang gusto ko lang malaman, paano gagamitin [how will it be spent]]? I mean, that is the usual question,” he said, citing that he’s been in Congress since 2004 and a long-time vice chairperson of the appropriations panel. The committee handles the yearly budget cycles.

“Usual ‘yung pagtatanong namin na saan mo gagamitin ang budget na ito, ‘yun lang [It’s the usual line of questioning: where will you use the budget],” Abante said. “Give us the list of particulars on how you’re going to use this budget.”

“Hindi siya dapat ma insulto roon [She should not be insulted with that] because that is our right,” he added.