THE Office of the Vice President (OVP) has proposed a P733 million budget for 2026, matching its 2025 allocation.
Vice President Sara Duterte announced the proposal Monday, June 16, 2025, during a press conference in Davao City.
Duterte explained that the OVP did not seek a larger budget because she anticipated it would not be approved by the current administration.
“Dahil inaasahan ko naman na hindi ibibigay ‘yung budget ng Office of the Vice President dahil nga hindi naman kami kaalyado ng administrasyon at nakita na natin ‘yun noong nakaraang taon, syempre nga hindi ka sumusunod, hindi ka kaalyado ay hindi ka mabibigyan ng pondong para sa mga proyekto ng opisina mo,” Duterte said.
(Because I expect the Office of the Vice President's budget will not be given since we are not allies of the administration, and we saw that last year. Of course, if you don't comply, if you're not an ally, you won't be given funds for your office's projects.)
“Kaya nag-decision ako na kung ano ‘yung budget na ibinigay ngayong taon na ito, ay ‘yun din ‘yung budget. Naglagay lang kami ng kaunti para sa education. ‘Yun din ‘yung budget para sa susunod na taon dahil ayaw ko napapahiya at pinapahiya yung mga ibang personnel ng Office of the Vice President. Lalo- lalong na kapag nandun na sila as House of Representatives or sa Senate na kaharap ‘yung ating mga miyembro ng Kongreso,” she added.
(That's why I decided that whatever budget was given this year, that would be the budget. We just added a little for education. That will be the budget for next year because I don't want to be humiliated and embarrass the other personnel of the Office of the Vice President, especially when they are already in the House of Representatives or the Senate, facing our members of Congress.)
The OVP will not introduce new programs in 2026 but will continue existing projects except for the medical and burial assistance and the PANsarap project, a nutritional supplementation program for schoolchildren.
For fiscal year 2025, the OVP initially proposed a P2 billion budget. However, the House of Representatives reduced it to P733 million after Duterte declined to provide details on her office's spending.
Despite the significant budget cut, Duterte affirmed the OVP's commitment to public service and nation-building.
She said that the OVP provided medical assistance to 127,984 individuals, burial assistance to 25,495 families, and free transportation to over one million passengers.
The OVP's "Magnegosyo Ta ‘Day Program" benefited 463 individuals and nine organizations. The "Kalusugan Food Trucks" program delivered 3,914 freshly prepared meals while the "Relief of Individuals and Indigents in Crises and Emergencies Program (RIICE)" assisted 146,000 individuals.
Duterte added 13,000 students participated in the PANsarap project while the "PagbaBAGo: A Million Learners and Trees Campaign" distributed 199,686 school bags and saw 301,355 trees planted.
Duterte underscored that the successful roll-out of these programs and projects would not be possible without the over 1000 partners that helped advance the well-being of our nation.
“Naging mas mapaghamon ang pagpapatakbo namin ng mga programa na ang pakay ay pagbibigay ng solusyon sa ilang mga pangunahing suliranin ng mga Pilipino. Ngunit ang mga batikos at sistematikong atake laban sa OVP ay hindi naging sapat para tayo ay humina, huminto, at mabigo,” she said.
(Running programs aimed at providing solutions to some of the main problems of Filipinos became more challenging. But the criticisms and systematic attacks against the OVP were not enough to weaken us, stop us, and make us fail.)
“Sa misyong ito ay natutupad natin ang mga proyekto at programang nagbibigay ng ginhawa sa buhay ng mga pamilya, babago sa mga komunidad, huhubog ng mga pangarap, at magpapanday ng magandang kinabukasan,” she added.
(In this mission, we fulfill projects and programs that bring comfort to families' lives, transform communities, shape dreams, and forge a good future.)
Duterte currently faces an impeachment complaint endorsed by the House of Representatives in February. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)