A total of ₱20.68 million has been spent by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Vice President Sara Duterte’s local and international trips from January to July 2025, according to the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

In a press briefing on the 2026 budget proposal, the OVP budget division, ₱13.207 million was allocated for local travels, while ₱7.473 million was used for foreign trips.

The OVP emphasized that the expenses covered the vice president’s "security and close-in civilian personnel," while Duterte covers her own and her family’s travel costs.

“The 17.585 million was utilized for the security personnel of the OVP and including the close in or civilian personnel,” said OVP Chief of the OVP Budget Division, Atty. Kelvin Gerome Tenido.

When asked whether the expenses for the OVP’s security and civilian personnel came from taxpayers’ money, the office was quick to respond.

"[From] the OVP’s budget,’ they stressed.

The OVP stressed that all of Duterte’s international trips were authorized and that no public funds were used for her or her family’s personal expenses.

As of July 31, the OVP reported remaining balances of ₱17.585 million for local trips and ₱24.026 million for international trips.

Based on current utilization, around 40% of the local travel allocation and 25% of the foreign travel allocation have been spent.

The OVP noted that the 2026 proposed budget for vice presidential foreign trips is the lowest since 2023, with the highest recorded allocation reaching ₱31.5 million in previous years.

The OVP did not confirm reports that Vice President Duterte has visited 13 countries so far in 2025 as part of her official functions, and also declined to comment on speculation about a possible upcoming trip to Nagoya, Japan.

“I cannot provide information regarding the future travels of the Vice President. We will have to check on her official schedule,” an OVP spokesperson said.

2026 proposed national budget

The office has proposed a budget of ₱903 million for the next fiscal year, marking an increase from its ₱744-million allocation in 2025.

Of the proposed amount, the OVP said it is requesting ₱20 million specifically for travel expenses in the coming year.