Vice President Sara Duterte’s absence from today’s House of Representatives budget briefing has been labeled a significant insult to the institution.
This was emphasized by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, who expressed frustration over the Vice President’s non-attendance at the budget deliberations.
Abante stressed that agency heads are expected to be present to defend their proposed budgets for the coming year.
Abante stated that he would not tolerate any insult to the House, even from the second-highest leader of the country. He noted that the letter sent by VP Duterte to Congress made it seem as though she had already completed the budget deliberations.
The congressman also pointed out that even the Commission on Audit (COA) was unable to answer the lawmakers’ questions, as only the Office of the Vice President (OVP) could provide the necessary explanations.