Jay Khonghun Believes VP Sara Duterte Is To Be Blamed if Many OVP Staff Lose Work
JAY KHONGHUN – The lawmaker reacted to the claim of Vice President Sara Duterte that around 200 OVP staff may lose job under the P733 million budget for her office in 2025.
One of the offices that asked for a multi-billion budget for 2025 was the Office of the Vice President (OVP). Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s office asked for a P2 billion budget for 2025 as per the Department of Budget and Management or DBM.
According to DBM, the budget proposal of the OVP does not include Confidential Funds. To recall, the Vice President was surrounded by controversy over the spending of the 2022 Confidential Funds of the Department of Education (DepEd) when she was the education secretary.
However, the House of Representatives appropriated a P733 million budget for the office of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte in 2025. The decision came after she skipped several hearings wherein she was invited by the House to appear.
The non-appearance of Duterte during the deliberation of the 2025 budget proposal of the OVP disappointed several members of the House. It even triggered the rumors that Duterte’s office may be defunded next year.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that the OVP will continue their work regardless of the amount approved as budget for the office in 2025. The P1.3 billion cut from the budget is set to be re-allocated to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DOH).
However, recently, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that around 200 OVP staff may lose their job due to the P733 million budget for the office in 2025. It gained a reaction from several lawmakers including Jay Khonghun.
Based on a report on GMA News Balitambayan, House Good Government and Public Accountability Panel Vice Chairman Jay Khonghun expressed his belief that it is Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s responsibility if more than 200 of the OVP staff will lose their job due to the P733 million budget for the office.
“Ilang beses siya inimbitahan, hindi siya umattend, hindi siya pumunta para i-justify ang kanyang budget. And yet, pagkatapos, ibabalik niya sa Kongreso ‘yung mawawalan ng trabaho?” the lawmaker said.
Jay Khonghun also stressed that if Vice Pres. Sara Duterte appeared at the Congress and defended her budget, the OVP staff will not lose their jobs. Based on the report, he emphasized that the problem is that Duterte allegedly does not justify the budget proposal of her office.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte also did not respond to the Senate to justify the 2025 budget proposal of the OVP. According to Senator Grace Poe, Vice Pres. Duterte did not submit budget documents to defend her proposal so the panel opted to adopt the P733-million budget appropriated by the House for the OVP.
Sir COA has the authority to decide what documents are needed since all the documents has not conclusively final so you can not tell that there is a wasted of funds from OVP.