Vice President Sara Duterte snubbed the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations budget briefing of the agency on Friday, prompting lawmakers to defer the budget discussions.
Palawan Rep. Jose Alvarez, vice chair of the House appropriations panel, said the OVP sent a letter to the House designating Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio to defend the proposed budget.
But the House did not allow the OVP representative to defend the OVP budget because it will run contrary to the House tradition that the head of the agency or at least an undersecretary-level official must present the budget proposal, explained Alvarez.
“I advised them in the morning not to come here because it’s the same if the VP Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez is not here,” Alvarez explained, adding that he was assured before noon that Duterte herself would attend the deliberations next Tuesday.
The OVP is scheduled for a Senate hearing on Monday, which prompted Duterte to commit to appearing before the House appropriations panel on Tuesday instead.
The House appropriations panel addressed to Duterte the invitation to attend the budget briefing, with attention to her chief of staff, Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez being a duly authorized representative or a senior OVP official to explain the agency’s budget proposal.
The OVP’s proposed budget for 2026 amounts to ₱902.8-million, or 20 percent higher than this year’s ₱744 million.
It was Caloocan Second District Rep. Edgar Erice of the minority bloc moved to defer the deliberations.
