The Office of the Vice President (OVP) reported Thursday it has spent P20.68-million on Vice President Sara Duterte’s local and foreign trips as of July 2025.
In a press briefing, the OVP clarified that Duterte uses personal funds for her trips abroad while the Philippine government covers the expenses of her security personnel and other staff members.
“More or less around P20 million has been obligated for the travels of the OVP, including the expenses of the security personnel and the civilian personnel,” said OVP budget division chief Kelvin Gerome Tenido.
Tenido explained that ₱13.207 million was spent on local travel, while ₱7.473 million was designated for foreign trips. He noted that 40% of the total budget allocation for 2025 was spent on local travel and 25% was used for foreign travel.
“We would like to emphasize that all international travels undertaken by the Vice President [are] covered by a travel authority and does not involve the use of public funds,” said OVP Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio.
In the 2025 budget, the OVP has ₱41.61 million remaining in its travel fund.
For 2026, the OVP proposed a P20-million travel fund, the lowest since 2023 when it reached P31.5 million.
When asked if Duterte will attend the scheduled House hearing for the OVP budget tomorrow, Ortonio said “she has not yet provided a final answer.”
