House Plenary Approves OVP Budget for 2026
The House of Representatives approved the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) budget for 2026 in a plenary session, even as Vice President Sara Duterte was notably absent from the deliberations. The action comes amid a flurry of letters and procedural moves surrounding the funding, attendance, and conditionalities tied to the OVP’s annual appropriation.
Absence of Duterte Staff and Attendance Protocols
During the deliberations, sponsor and House Appropriations Committee vice chairman Rep. Jose Alvarez announced that Duterte had sent letters authorizing Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio to attend the meeting as the office’s officer-in-charge. The OVP’s chief-of-staff, Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, was reported to be on leave until Oct. 1, 2025, according to a later letter from the OVP. The absence of Duterte herself from the session raised questions about the office’s representation in budget debates and the mechanisms by which the agency can defend its funding in the vice president’s stead.
Duterte’s Contingent Demands: Attendance and Documentation
In a surprising development, Duterte sent another letter demanding that the Committee on Good Government provide a document confirming the lifting of an immigration lookout bulletin against several OVP staffers—Zuleika Lopez, Lemuel Ortonio, Rosalynne Sanchez, Sunshine Fajarda, Gina Acosta, Julieta Villadelrey, and Edward Fajarda. The issue of lookouts added a security and transparency dimension to the budget discussions while Duterte was away in Cebu, where she was coordinating relief efforts following a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck parts of the Visayas.
Reactions Inside the House
Not all lawmakers saw eye to eye with the OVP’s approach. Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima said she was “appalled” by the move to proceed without Duterte’s direct attendance, calling the situation a “disrespect of the Constitution.” She questioned the office’s leadership and urged that the vice president defend her budget in person, noting past instances where she attended other sessions. De Lima’s remarks were echoed by members of the Makabayan Bloc, who argued for a reduced allocation to the OVP, focusing only on maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and salaries.
Budget Size and Proposed Adjustments
As debates unfolded, the discourse turned to numbers. The OVP budget was cited at P27.3 billion for the year, a figure that drew pushback from critics who argued for belt-tightening. The Makabayan Bloc pressed for a trimming of the budget, suggesting that funds be limited to MOOE and personnel costs, echoing concerns about accountability and the bureau’s perceived scope of operations. In a related line of discussion, some lawmakers pointed to the earlier allocation level of about P902.89 million, advocating that the funds be redistributed toward core operating expenses rather than broader agency activities.
What’s Next for the OVP Budget
House leaders urged the body to stay focused on its mandate and to avoid allowing personal disagreements to derail what they described as essential public funding. Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice urged colleagues to ignore Duterte’s letters if necessary and continue the work of passing the budget, emphasizing that the people’s needs should take priority over inter-office disputes. With the budget now approved in plenary, attention will turn to standard post-approval processes, including congressional reconsideration and eventual submission for concurrence or oversight reviews as applicable in the legislative timeline.
Context: Duterte’s Absence and Ongoing Relief Efforts
Meanwhile, Duterte’s absence from the plenary occurred against a backdrop of ongoing relief operations from the Visayas earthquake. Her decision to remain in Cebu to oversee relief efforts underscored the competing priorities facing national leaders: safeguarding public welfare while ensuring essential government spending is funded and accounted for in the annual budget cycle.
