VICE President Sara Duterte said her office is ready to continue working without a budget allocation from the National Government.
In the third part of a recorded video interview shared by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, Duterte addressed the possibility of them being defunded or to have lower budget under the proposed 2025 national budget.
She said it is part of “attacks” against her.
“Narinig din namin na mayroong defunding. I-defund daw ang Office of the Vice President budget. Narinig din namin na posibleng piso lang ang ibigay na budget sa Office of the Vice President,” she said.
(We also heard that there is defunding. The Office of the Vice President budget might be defunded. We also heard that the Office of the Vice President may only be given a one peso budget.)
“Handa kami. Handa ako sa Office of the Vice President na mag-trabaho kahit walang budget. Maliit lang ‘yung opisina namin. Maliit lang ‘yung operations namin kaya kayang-kaya namin na mag-trabaho kahit walang budget. Alam naman namin na kaparte ‘yan ng pag-atake. Kaya kami, tutuloy-tuloy lang din kami sa kailangan naming gawin para sa bayan,” she added.
(We are ready. I am ready in the Office of the Vice President to work even without a budget. Our office is small. Our operations are small, so we can afford to work even without a budget. We know that's part of the attack. So we, we will continue to do what we need to do for the people.)
During the first day of deliberation on the OVP budget on August 27, Duterte engaged in a heated exchange with lawmakers after she refused to answer questions on how the agency spent their budget and forgo the opportunity for her to defend their proposed budget, leading to the deferment of the proceedings.
The House committee on appropriations deferred for the second time the deliberation of the P2-billion budget proposal for the OVP for 2025 on Tuesday, September 10, after Duterte and her staff refused to attend the proceedings.
The House committee on appropriations approved the motion made by Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Raul Bongalon, who asked for the deferment of OVP budget deliberations subject to conditions, which include reducing the proposed budget of the OVP, put certain funds on hold unless further discussions are held, or transfer the budget for social services.
Amid all the happenings, Duterte urged the public to not let the political noise affect their judgment, noting that attacks against the second highest official of the land are never new.
“Kung makikita natin sa kasaysayan, lagi talagang inaatake ang Vice President dahil siya ‘yung tinitingnan ng mga tao na baka magiging sunod na presidente. So, lahat ng mga gustong tumakbong presidente ay uunahin nila atakihin talaga ang Vice President. Kaya ‘wag sila magpadala sa ingay ng paninira at pulitika,” she said.
(If we can see in history, the Vice President is always really attacked because she is the one people look at who might become the next president. So, all those who want to run for president will attack the Vice President first. So don't give in to the noise of destruction and politics.)
She also called for unity to aid the poor and hungry families, stressing that this is the “true problem” of the Philippines. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)