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Vice President Sara Duterte attends a hearing for the Office of the Vice President's 2025 budget at the House of Representatives on August 27, 2024.  Photo courtesy of the House of Representatives

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OVP Budget Hearing

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172594738638620240828-sara-duterte-hor-budget-hearing3.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Vice President Sara Duterte attends a hearing for the Office of the Vice President&#x27;s 2025 budget at the House of Representatives on August 27, 2024.  <em>Photo courtesy of the House of Representatives</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (<strong>2nd UPDATE</strong>) — The House of Representatives&#x27; appropriations panel on Tuesday deferred again the approval of the Office of the Vice President&#x27;s (OVP) proposed 2025 budget.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/10/vp-duterte-no-show-at-house-ovp-budget-hearing-1030">READ: Sara Duterte no show at House OVP budget hearing</a></div><p>During its second deliberation on the OVP budget, which Vice President Sara Duterte skipped, AKO BICOL party-list Rep. Jilting Bongalon made the motion to continue their hearings on the OVP&#x27;s budget.</p><p>He also floated two conditions with his motions, namely, reduce the proposed budget of the OVP and place certain funds on hold until further discussions are held.</p><p>&quot;I move that we defer the termination of the deliberation of the proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President, subject to conditions— either number one, reduce the proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President and number two, place the certain funds on hold until further discussions are held,&quot; said Bongalon.</p><p>This is the second time the panel deferred the approval of the OVP&#x27;s budget.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/27/house-panel-defers-approval-of-ovp-s-proposed-2025-budget-2159">READ: House panel defers approval of OVP&#x27;s proposed 2025 budget</a></div><p>&quot;It&#x27;s simply that we pause on the discussion on the Office of the Vice President, but we will continue the discussion on the plenary,&quot; the OVP&#x27;s budget sponsor at the lower house, Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong, explained.</p><p>&quot;Anything is possible. There is also a chance that it can be retained, depending on how the budget will be approved and what are the differences in the version from the ones that we approved and the ones that will be approved in the Senate,&quot; he added.</p><p>Adiong said there was no communication between his office and the OVP after the first budget deliberations of the House committee last August 27, but his office remains open should the OVP reach out.</p><p>&quot;I am still waiting for the Office of the Vice President to really reach out. But there is no indication that that would happen. But I am still open to communicate with the Office so that I can also obtain… Kasi there was a discussion on the submission of the documents required by COA. I also want to have those documents, so that once a member asks the same question again, I can also provide them the answer,&quot; he said.</p><div><strong>&#x27;BUDOL&#x27;</strong></div><p>After the budget hearing, House Committee on Appropriations chairperson Rep. Zaldy Co addressed the allegation of Duterte that he and Speaker Martin Romualdez are &quot;controlling&quot; the budget. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/9/4/marcos-refutes-vp-duterte-no-politics-in-ovp-budget-hearings-1534">READ: Marcos refutes VP Duterte: &#x27;No politics&#x27; in OVP budget hearings</a></div><p>&quot;Nakita natin kahapon ang Part 1 ng video message ni Vice President Sara Duterte kung saan nililihis na naman niya ang mga issue. Talagang tatak Duterte na yata ang pambubudol... pekeng sagot sa mga issue,&quot; he said.</p><p>Co also revealed that during Duterte&#x27;s appearance in the previous hearing, her office asked for food for her 100 bodyguards that they ended up not eating.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/29/bato-nanawagan-sa-mga-dating-pulis-at-militar-na-maging-volunteer-security-ni-vp-duterte-1645">READ: Bato, nanawagan sa mga dating pulis at militar na maging volunteer security ni VP Duterte</a></div><p>&quot;Nag-iisa nga siyang humarap sa pagdinig ng Committee... pero sangkaterba ang bodyguards sa labas ng conference room. Humiling pa ng pagkain para sa 100 gwardiya na dala-dala niya, at hindi naman kinain. Hindi po ba pang-iinsulto at pag-aaksaya ito ng resources ng gobyerno?&quot; Co said.</p><p>The lawmaker said Duterte&#x27;s absence in the budget hearing was an insult to the institution.</p><div><strong>DEFICIENCIES</strong></div><p>During the budget briefing on Tuesday, the Commission on Audit said it saw &quot;deficiencies&quot; in the OVP&#x27;s distribution of welfare goods.</p><p>&quot;May mga lapses po doon sa existing guidelines and procedures ng OVP, wherein hindi po kasama doon &#x27;yung pag-submit nitong mga documents, such as the distribution list for the rice distributed to the beneficiaries through the deed of donation to the local government units or municipalities. Only the property acknowledgement receipt was required to be submitted. So wala pong distribution list,&quot; COA Audit Team Leader Fahad Bin Abdul Malik Tomawis told the panel.</p><p>&quot;Deficiencies in the preparation and accomplishment of distribution list. The distribution list was not pre-numbered to easily validate and monitor the number of affected beneficiaries. Some of the list or distribution list lack necessary details or information such as date, time, name, type of relief item or the area or location of the activity, then it is also stated in the report that the distributed portion of the distribution list was not properly signed by the concerned personnel. Several distribution lists were not signed by each beneficiary,&quot; he added.</p><p>This prompted some lawmakers to push for the reallocation of the proposed 2025 funding for OVP&#x27;s socio-economic programs to programs implemented by other government agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Education.</p><p>&quot;Itong mga ito ay doble lang sa ginagawa ng mga agency at maiimprove lang ito. Mayroon na kasing existing guidelines and procedures kung paano ang pagdidistribute nitong services na ito,&quot; ACT Teachers Party List Representative France Castro said.</p><p>&quot;Based on actual experience ay inefficient sa pag-provide ng services ang Office of the Vice President,&quot; added Kabataan Party List Representative Raoul Manuel. &quot;Ang isinusulong na natin ay tanggalan na ng budget &#x27;yung socio economic program delivery ng Office of the Vice President, including &#x27;yung PS na P87.5 million, MOOE na P1.77 billion, at saka &#x27;yung capital outlay na P56.4 million. Total po niyan is P1.9 billion.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Bibigyan pa ba natin siya ng P2 billion na ipanggagastos daw sa mahihirap? Ibigay po natin ito sa tamang ahensya. Huwag po natin hahayaan na waldasin na naman ang kahit pisong sentimo na dapat nating bantayan,&quot; said Co.</p><p>But during SAGIP Party List Representative Rodante Marcoleta&#x27;s interpellation, COA said that  the notice of disallowance is still appealable and not yet final. It added that the OVP has yet to submit a reply to the Commission, but it has six months to do so.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4LyEM3Sf1nk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>The House of Representatives' appropriations panel on Tuesday deferred again the approval of the OVP proposed 2025 budget.</p>

The House of Representatives' appropriations panel on Tuesday deferred again the approval of the OVP proposed 2025 budget.

House panel defers approval of OVP's 2025 budget anew

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House panel defers approval of OVP's 2025 budget anew

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 10, 2024 02:14 PM PHT

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Updated Sep 10, 2024 06:22 PM PHT

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