OVP opens satellite office in Zamboanga

MANILA, Philippines — Despite a looming budget cut, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) has opened a new satellite office in Zamboanga City yesterday.

In a statement, the OVP said its Western Mindanao office would make Vice President Sara Duterte’s programs more accessible to residents in the region.

The launch came with the awarding of livelihood and financial assistance worth P285,000 to a coconut farmers’ cooperative and nine residents, in line with the OVP’s “Magnegosyo Ta ‘Day” program.

“KAKOFARMCO received P150,000 and nine people received P15,000 each to help them start their livelihood such as sari-sari store, carinderia, bakery, slipper craftsmanship and brick oven making,” the OVP said.

Duterte’s failure to defend and justify previous spendings of the OVP and the Department of Education when she was DepEd secretary resulted in the reduction of her office’s budget.

From the proposed P2.037 billion in 2025, House members reduced the amount to P733.19 million – a cut of 65 percent or P1.3 billion.

Duterte said she does not expect the OVP fund to increase even as she will attend the Senate deliberation on the 2025 proposed budget.

She said she was willing to work with whatever is left of the OVP’s proposed budget for next year.

The budget cut may result in the discontinuation of some of the OVP’s satellite offices and social and medical assistance programs, which her office says get the lion’s share of the funding.

Funds slashed from the OVP proposed budget will be reallocated to programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development as well as the Department of Health.