Senate plenary OKs P1.3 billion OVP fund cut

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte thanked the Senate for approving the proposed P733.2-million budget for her office, even though it adopted the House of Representatives’ P1.3-billion cut.

Duterte attended the plenary hearing yesterday for the Senate’s plenary approval of her budget that was slashed by the House from the original proposal of P2.037 billion.

Duterte shook hands with the senators before they approved her slashed budget during plenary.

Her ally, Sen. Bong Go, appealed to his colleagues to restore the Office of the Vice President (OVP)’s social assistance funds ostensibly to enable Duterte to provide aid to indigents.

“Let us not paralyze the OVP. While some OVP programs are being implemented by other agencies, there is nothing wrong with giving the OVP funds for its social services, to provide help to those in need,” Go said at the plenary.

Another Duterte ally, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, moved to approve the OVP’s slashed budget, seconded by Sen. Cynthia Villar.

Budget sponsor and finance committee chair Sen. Grace Poe said Go can still move to restore the OVP’s social welfare funds during the period of amendments.

At a press briefing after the plenary session, Duterte said she is leaving it to the Senate if it would restore in whole or partially the P1.3-billion budget cut by the House.

“We thank the Senate for accommodating us and taking action on our budget,” Duterte said.

The Vice President said she attended the Senate budget deliberations and not the House, because of the House lawmakers’ tendency to question her alleged misuse of confidential funds instead of focusing on her proposed budget and projects.

Before the OVP budget deliberations, the Senate also approved in plenary the Office of the President’s proposed P10.45-billion budget.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin attended the OP budget plenary debate which only lasted minutes before the senators approved the OP’s budget.

AFP budget

To protect the country’s territories, particularly the West Philippine Sea, Dela Rosa urged the Senate to restore the P10 billion cut by Congress in the P50-billion budget for the Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program for 2025.

The changes made by the House were adopted by the Senate finance committee in its committee report on the budget bill.

“Being a former member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, a former member of the Philippine National Police and now a senator of the Republic, I cannot help but point out a glaring contradiction that I see. Because every time something bad happens during our resupply missions to the Ayungin Shoal... our immediate reaction is… ‘We condemn in the highest terms this incident, and we have to see to it that we modernize our Philippine Navy,’” Dela Rosa said during plenary deliberations on the proposed P6.352-trillion national budget bill.

The senator appealed for restoration the budget cut introduced by the House of Representatives to boost the morale of the country’s troops.

“We don’t blame our government; we are poor with money. But if I feel that being a soldier, being a sailor is another priority of our government, it prioritized giving out AKAP... then the Lower House reduced it even more of P10 billion, the reaction will be different, as far as morale is concerned,” he added.

Dela Rosa said Poe, chair of the Senate finance committee, has committed to look into his appeal and is willing to consider the proposal to restore the P10-billion cut in the AFP budget cut. –  Cecille Suerte Felipe