The Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives has reduced by more than half the proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for 2025.
The cut, amounting to approximately P1.3 billion, was driven by the redundancy of the OVP’s programs with those of other government agencies, as well as concerns over its numerous satellite and extension offices.
According to Marikina City Rep. Stella Quimbo, senior vice chairperson of the committee, the panel recommended reducing the OVP’s proposed budget from P2.037 billion to P733 million.
The reductions primarily targeted allocations for financial assistance programs, professional services (consultants), utilities, supplies and materials, and rentals/leases.
Quimbo clarified that the budget for “personal services,” which covers employee salaries, was not affected.
She explained that the entire P947 million budget for the OVP’s financial assistance (FA) programs would be transferred to the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the medical assistance program under the Department of Health (DOH), with these agencies receiving a combined P646 million.
The FA budget provides aid for burial, medical, transportation, and other similar expenses. Quimbo emphasized that the OVP and its beneficiaries can still access these forms of assistance through the DSWD and DOH.
The reduction was based on a report from the Commission on Audit (CoA), which highlighted that OVP’s funds had not been utilized efficiently and that the programs had redundancies and implementation issues.
Quimbo also pointed out that many congress members raised concerns about the OVP’s 10 satellite offices and two extension offices. The OVP’s requested P80 million budget for office rentals was reduced to P32 million.
She stressed that these are merely recommendations from the Committee on Appropriations, led by Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, and are still subject to approval by the House of Representatives when plenary debates on the 2025 national budget begin on September 16.
Quimbo further explained that the budget approval process is lengthy and meticulous, and the President retains the power to use the line-veto to reject portions of the proposed budget. Ultimately, it is up to government agencies to decide how they will utilize the funds allocated by Congress and the President.