Poe: Senate-approved 2025 GAB retains reduced budget for OVP

The Senate-approved General Appropriations Bill (GAB) has retained the P733 million budget for the Office of the Vice President as proposed in the House of Representatives' version of the budget bill.

Senator Grace Poe announced this as the Senate passed the bill containing the P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025 on third and final reading.

According to the chairperson of the Senate finance committee chairperson, it will be up to the members of the bicameral conference committee (bicam) to decide whether to increase or further decrease the 2025 budget for the OVP and the controversial Department of Social Welfare and Development's Ayuda para sa Kapos and Kita Program (AKAP).

"The budgets of OVP and AKAP will be determined during bicam. For now, OVP is at GAB level while AKAP is restored to the NEP level. We need to consult our House counterparts on these items," Poe said in a text message.

In an ambush interview, Senator JV Ejercito answered in the affirmative when asked if there was a heated exchange on the OVP's budget during the caucus that was conducted by all senators before the approval of the GAB.

"Mayroon of course. Definitely. Kasi yun yung issues ngayon...kaya medyo tumagal because of those items," Ejercito told reporters.

According to Ejercito, the senators arrived at a "compromise" after a long discussion. He, however, did not disclose the said agreement.

"Because of the situation, we have to be honest, talagang politically…but the Senate decided as a group already para lang to be fair to everbody, antayin na lang natin ang budget mukha namang... maayos naman," he said.

For his part, Senator Bong Go said he pushed again for the restoration of the budget for OVP's social services during the caucus.

"Yan po ang pakiusap po sa lahat kanina. I asked them, sana po magkaroon rin po ng pagkakataon, ang Office of the Vice President, magkaroon ng funds for social services," Go, one of Duterte's allies in the Senate, said in a separate interview.

"Antayin nalang po natin sa bicam kung anong pong magiging resulta. Ako naman gusto kong makapagtrabaho ang bise presidente," he added.

The House's decision to reduce the budget of the OVP from the originally proposed P2 billion to P733 million came amid Vice President Sara Duterte's refusal to answer lawmakers’ questions on OVP budget use, including confidential funds.

The Senate retained the House-introduced budget cut despite calls from Duterte's allies to restore some of OVP's proposed funding for social services.

Duterte earlier said that around 200 OVP personnel could lose their jobs should the reduced budget of the office for next year amounting to P733 million be approved under the 2025 General Appropriations Act.

Duterte also said that some projects of the OVP, specifically the free bus rides and financial assistance provided in its satellite offices, may be affected by the proposed cuts in the OVP’s 2025 budget. —RF, GMA Integrated News