Sara Duterte ’s Absence Costs Her Office ₱156 Million in 2026 Budget
SARA DUTERTE – Lawmakers have decided to reduce the Office of the Vice President’s 2026 budget to ₱733 million, citing what they called Sara Duterte’s “disrespect” for skipping multiple budget hearings.
The House of Representatives has slashed the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed 2026 budget from ₱889.2 million to ₱733.2 million, following Vice President Sara Duterte’s repeated absences from the budget deliberations. Lawmakers viewed her continued no-shows as a form of “disrespect” toward Congress.
The new allocation mirrors the OVP’s 2025 budget, marking a ₱156-million or 17.5 percent reduction from the original proposal. The budget adjustment was introduced during the period of amendments for the ₱6.793-trillion national budget for 2026. House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos backed the amendment proposed by Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima of the ML party-list, which sought to restore the OVP’s funds to its previous level.
De Lima stressed that the move was made in the spirit of public accountability rather than personal animosity. “Every peso in this budget is the people’s money. And when we demand accountability, we do so not out of hostility, but out of duty – duty to the Constitution, duty to the people and duty to the truth,” she stated.
The deputy minority leader also expressed frustration over Duterte’s decision not to attend the hearings, calling it a direct insult to the legislative body. “Let me then again put this on record: VP Sara Duterte’s repeated refusal to face this chamber is an insult. It spits on the duty of accountability, while she clings to millions in public funds she refuses to explain,” De Lima said.
Duterte, who also heads the Department of Education (DepEd), has previously faced criticism for delegating the defense of both the OVP and DepEd budgets to her staff instead of appearing in person.
Despite the controversy, the House moved forward and approved the ₱6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 on second reading. The decision to cut the OVP’s allocation highlighted the lawmakers’ push for openness, transparency, and accountability among government officials, particularly those entrusted with managing large sums of public money.
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