The Senate has approved a higher budget for the Office of the Vice President, reinstating some P100 million to help in its work against poverty.
The upper chamber swiftly gave its nod to the P547.6-million allocation for the OVP., Robredo’s office said in a press statement.
This was in response to Vice President Leni Robredo’s appeal for the 2019 budget to meet the P543-million allocation that her office worked with in 2018, which was able to fund projects for several communities through the Angat Buhay program.
Robredo herself was present during the hearing on Monday, Dec. 10, when the budget was approved in less than a minute.
The Department of Budget and Management recommended a budget of P447.68 million for the OVP in 2019, slashing about P100 million from the office’s allocation for the incoming year.
This proposed amount was considered before Congress and was approved by the House of Representatives.
However, members of the Senate, led by Finance committee chairman Loren Legarda, agreed to restore the higher amount.
While Angat Buhay counts primarily on the help of the private sector, the Vice President has underscored that the current budget that the office is working with has been a “great help” to the local governments and communities that the program is assisting.