Sen. Migz Zubiri Speaks on Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s Office Budget for 2025
ZUBIRI – The former Senate President claimed that some senators want to increase the budget for Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s office.
The House of Representatives has decided to give the office of Vice Pres. Duterte a P733 million budget for 2025. It is lower by more than half of the budget that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) is asking for.
According to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the office of Vice Pres. Duterte is asking for a P2 billion budget for 2025. The OVP budget proposal does not include confidential funds which the office was previously controversial for.
The decision of the House to give the OVP a P733 million budget for 2025 came after the Vice President’s absence on the hearing set by the lower chamber. Duterte was no show at the resumption of the House deliberation of the 2025 budget proposal of the OVP.
Prior to Duterte skipping the House inquiry on her office’s budget proposal, the Vice President got involved in a spar with some House members. ACT Teachers Party-list Representative France Castro was disappointed about the Vice President allegedly not answering to the question about her office’s previous budget spending.
In a letter addressed to the House of Representatives, the Vice President said that she is leaving the decision to the members of the lower chamber with regards to the 2025 budget for her office. She stressed that she has spoken her stand on the issues surrounding the OVP budget proposal.
On the P733 million budget for the OVP, Vice Pres. Duterte said that her office will continue to work. She claimed that only two (2) people allegedly have control in the budget and one of them is allegedly House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Recently, former Senate President Migz Zubiri spoke on the issue regarding the budget for Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s office in 2025. Based on a report on GMA News, the Senator claimed that some senators want an increase on the OVP budget.
Speaking during the Kapihan sa Senado, Zubiri said that he has some colleagues who have already expressed wanting to increase the OVP budget. He also expressed that the Vice President attends the Senate hearings and answers questions raised by the lawmakers in the Senate.
”Yung appetite ng ibang senador is dagdagan pa nang kaunti,” he said.
However, based on the report, it is “too premature” to say what might happen. The Vice President previously expressed an intent to attend the Senate plenary hearing.