In a recent interview, Vice President Sara Duterte asserted that her "small" office can function effectively regardless of the budget. She also reiterated her accusation that some lawmakers are attempting to impeach her.
“We’ve heard about attempts to defund us and even the possibility of a P1 budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP). However, the OVP is prepared to operate even without a budget,” Duterte stated in the interview on September 4, which her office later shared with reporters.
The day prior, Duterte avoided the House discussions on the OVP’s 2025 budget proposal, a move that some lawmakers perceived as an “insult” to the institution.
Consequently, there was talk among some legislators about potentially reducing her P2.037-billion budget and reallocating the funds to agencies that provide social services.
During the initial budget discussions on August 27, Duterte chose not to participate in a question-and-answer session to defend her budget. She also declined to explain the expenditure of the P125-million confidential funds allocated to the OVP in 2022, which were used within just 11 days.
Coordinated Attacks
In the interview, Duterte claimed that the attempts to defund her office were part of a coordinated “attack” against both her and the OVP.
“You can tell they had already prepared a PowerPoint and an audiovisual presentation. They were even reading from a script,” she added.
She claimed that the removal of P650 million in confidential funds from the 2024 budgets of the OVP and the Department of Education—where she served until July—was also part of the ongoing attacks against her.
“To create the impression that they weren’t targeting me specifically, they also cut the confidential funds from other departments,” Duterte alleged.
Ranking House leaders countered that most of the issues Duterte raised were "self-inflicted" and could have been addressed if she had participated in Tuesday’s budget deliberations.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Adiong Alonto, Tingog Rep. Jude Acidre, 1-Rider Rep. Rodge Gutierrez, and La Union Rep. Pablo Ortega defended their examination of the OVP’s 2025 budget, which had been postponed a second time due to concerns about the inefficiency of previous budget expenditures.
“I’ve heard talk of impeachment, but it’s only coming from her; I haven’t heard anything about it here in Congress,” said Gutierrez. “I can assure you of that.”
No Politicking
Adiong, the designated sponsor of the OVP budget, dismissed accusations of politicking, suggesting that those making the claims were the ones actually engaging in it. “No one is focused on 2028 right now; what matters is ensuring the entire bureaucracy operates effectively,” he said.
Ortega specifically noted that the issues with the OVP were largely “self-inflicted” and emphasized that their role was simply to investigate these matters.
In the Senate, a Duterte ally expressed confidence that many colleagues would follow the "long-standing tradition" of swiftly concluding deliberations or avoiding scrutiny of the President and Vice President’s budgets. “That’s my personal view… Generally, the tradition is upheld… We don’t make it difficult for them,” said Sen. Ronald dela Rosa.
When asked if he believed some House lawmakers were targeting Duterte, he responded, “Isn’t it obvious? Didn’t you notice? Yes, it’s very apparent.”
“I’m not saying it was wrong that she missed the budget hearing, but we should consider the reasons she chose not to attend,” he said.
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