The Senate Committee on Finance approved the requested P2.3 billion budget for the Office of the Vice President for next year, including the P500 million proposed allocation for confidential and intelligence funds, on Monday, September 4.

Vice President Sara Duterte attended the hearing and defended the OVP's proposed budget, including the CIF, explaining that the requested funds would be used for the "safe, secure, and implementation of the projects, programs, activities, and engagements and all of the satellite offices, including the central office of the OVP.

During the hearing, Duterte refused to reveal the subject of the OVP's intelligence-collection operations, stating that she was unable to do so, but she did assure that there are stakeholders in the area who are upset with the OVP.

It took almost three hours before the Senate sub-committee on Finance approved the proposed budget worth P758 million pesos.

The discussion took a long time due to the questions asked by the Senators to the VP and the Education Secretary about the Department of Education’s (DepEd) controversial P150 million confidential fund.

Meanwhile, the finance committee previously approved the requested budget of the OVP in 2024, worth P2 billion to P3 billion.