A member of the House of Representatives has expressed concern over Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s defense of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) budget, which was cut by the House Appropriations Committee.
House Assistant Majority Leader and Taguig City Representative Pammy Zamora called on Senator Estrada not to turn a blind eye to the red flags raised by the Commission on Audit (COA) regarding Vice President Sara Duterte’s office expenditures.
Zamora suggested that Estrada’s defense could be seen as condoning the misuse of public funds.
The Vice President recently refused to defend her proposed P2.037 billion budget for 2025, which includes confidential funds, leading the House Appropriations Committee to reduce the OVP budget to P733 million.
On Sunday, Deputy Majority Leader Jude Acidre and Assistant Majority Leader Jil Bongalon criticized Senator Joel Villanueva for allegedly disrespecting interparliamentary boundaries and interfering in the House’s decision to slash the OVP budget.
Rep. Zamora emphasized the importance of ensuring proper use of public funds and urged lawmakers to continue monitoring the national budget.