The House Committee tasked to amend the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) maintained its decision on Tuesday, October 15, to reduce the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) 2025 budget by P1.3 billion.
The lower chamber's decision came after an overlap in functions between the OVP and other agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DOH) were found.
To eliminate redundant expenses within the government sectors, the Committee decided to slash the OVP budget from P2.037 billion to P733.198 million. Due to this, a portion of the funds were reallocated to the mentioned government agencies.
P645.5 million was the agreed amount to be added to DSWD's Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), while the same amount will be given to DOH's Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program. With this, the House believes that existing agencies may extend their reach to the public in a more effective manner.
Last September, the third and final reading of the proposed 2025 national budget was approved by the House.
This came after Vice President (VP) Sara Duterte’s repeated absences at the OVP’s budget hearing and deliberations. Consequently, she was also questioned about the OVP's confidential funds in 2022.
In the same month, Duterte said that she will no longer defend her office's proposed budget, adding that she will leave it to the lawmakers to decide.
