House sets new date for OVP budget hearing, Duterte to attend

Metro Manila, Philippines - The House of Representatives hearing on the budget proposal of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) was moved to Tuesday, Sept. 16, as Vice President Sara Duterte and top agency officials who can defend the budget skipped the scheduled Friday, Sept. 12, meeting.

Appropriations committee vice chairperson and budget sponsor Jose Alvarez said the OVP notified the House that it will send its assistant chief of staff, Lemuel Ortonio, to defend the budget.

Alvarez said he advised the office that only agency heads or undersecretaries can discuss the proposal.

The Palawan lawmaker said he got word from Duterte that she will attend the Tuesday hearing.

Senior deputy minority leader and Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice then moved to defer the inquiry to Tuesday over “technicalities.”

Minority split on parliamentary courtesy

Erice said the minority is willing to extend courtesy to the OVP, which is traditionally accorded to the agency and the Office of the President.

House deputy minority leader and ACT Teacher’s party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, however, said not everyone in their block would give that privilege to the OVP.

Tinio expressed dismay at Duterte's absence.

“‘Di pa rin nagbabago ang bise presidente. Sa labas, sa media panay ang pahayag na handa siyang ipagtanggol ang kanyang budget at wala siyang tinatago at handa humarap sa proper venue. Sa kaso ng budget proposal for 2026 wala pong ibang proper venue kundi ang komiteng ito,” he said.

“Magpapakita raw ang ating bise presidente mismo sa Tuesday? Para sa akin, to see it to believe,” the lawmaker added.

[Translation: The Vice President hasn't changed. In public and in the media, she keeps saying that she's ready to defend her budget, that she has nothing to hide, and that she's willing to face the proper venue. But in the 2026 budget proposal, there is no other proper venue but this committee…The vice president herself is supposedly showing up on Tuesday? For me, I’ll believe it when I see it.]

Meanwhile, Duterte ally Davao 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab said parliamentary courtesy is only extended at the committee level.

In 2024, the OVP faced intense congressional security over supposed fund misuse, with Congress cutting the budget by P1.3 billion.

Duterte’s supposed mismanagement of confidential funds was among the grounds of her now archived impeachment case.