Manila, Philippines – With less than an hour of deliberations, the Senate Sub-committee on Finance approved on Monday the proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President for Fiscal Year 2026.
During the budget deliberations, Vice President Sara Duterte led the budget presentation herself, explaining the allocations of the office’s proposed P902.895 million for 2026.
Majority of the budget is allocated to the Maintenance and Operating Expenses of the OVP, amounting to P673.753 million.
25.34% or P212.536 million is aligned for the Personal Services allocation, while 1.84% or P16.604 million for capital outlay.
Meanwhile, 30.5% of the proposed fund is intended to sustain the various existing social programs of the OVP.
A 1.3% increase was granted from the P733 million initially proposed fund of the OVP, equivalent to its 2025 budget.
The Senate committee recognized and expressed support to the ongoing programs of the OVP, who continued its projects amidst the large budget slash.
All senators present during the deliberations also expressed support in granting the OVP additional budget to sustain funding of its social programs.
Senator Bong Go even made a statement that he is willing to slash his office’s budget and transfer it to the OVP instead.
A parliamentary courtesy was granted to the OVP’s budget deliberations, marking its endorsement to the mother Finance committee for plenary debates.
Last week, the House of Representatives approved as well the OVP’s budget proposal via parliamentary courtesy, citing tradition.—Mia Layaguin, Eurotv News