The House of Representatives committee on appropriations swiftly terminated deliberations on the Office of the Vice President’s P2.385 billion proposed budget for 2024, acknowledging the “long-standing tradition” of parliamentary courtesy.
Seconds after Vice President Sara Duterte finished her audio-visual presentation, Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos moved to end the deliberation.
“In line with the long-standing tradition of giving the OVP the parliamentary courtesy, I move to terminate the deliberations on the budget of the OVP,” said Marcos, son of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
At least 21 lawmakers voted in favor of Marcos’ motion.
The hearing lasted about 30 minutes, including introductions and acknowledgements.
But the three members of the Makabayan bloc, led by House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, objected to the motion, appealing to the committee to allow them to ask questions.
Castro’s persistence to propound questions prompted the committee to suspend the session.
Castro’s group wanted Duterte to explain the P125-million confidential fund that the OVP received and spent in 2022, even if such an item was not provided under that year’s national budget law.
“We condemn what was done in the Committee on Appropriations in the strongest term – the suppression of the Makabayan bloc regarding our intended questions and interpellation on the so-called confidential fund, which is not even a confidential fund in the Office of the Vice President. There are many things that the OVP should explain to the public—in fact, the Vice President herself should provide an explanation during the budget hearing, and she is here,” Castro said in a statement issued after the hearing.
“So we wonder why this decision was made, and we are truly enraged about this incident because we were fully prepared and ready to ask our questions to enlighten the public about how this P125 million confidential fund was spent, which is not even included in the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA) budget. Akala ko ba handang magpaliwanag si VP Duterte,” she said.
Castro said the Office of the President approved the P125 million confidential funds of the OVP last year.
“The OVP had no Congressional authorization to incur confidential expenses in 2022. A full accounting should be made down to the last centavo,” said Castro.
Duterte, for her part, touted the OVP’s accomplishments in 2023, including putting up seven satellite offices in different parts of the country as well as its medical and burial assistance programs.
Based on her presentation, the OVP spent P550 million on medical assistance for 52,472 beneficiaries and P56.9 million for burial assistance for 11.606 million beneficiaries.
For 2024, Duterte proposed P500 million in confidential funds for the OVP and P150 million for the DepEd, where she serves as the department’s secretary.