THE House of Representatives on Wednesday reiterated its constitutional mandate over the national budget process and urged Vice President Sara Duterte to fully respect this authority, following her remarks about scaling back her office’s 2026 budget request to spare her personnel from potential embarrassment.
House spokesperson Atty. Princess Abante acknowledged Duterte’s recognition of Congress’ role in the budget process but emphasized that such acknowledgment must include transparency and accountability regarding the use of public funds.
“Well, unang-una, maganda na nakikita natin sa statement ni Vice President Sara Duterte na nire-recognize niya ang role ng Kongreso, ng Kamara sa budget process. Magre-request siya sa House of Representatives ng budget,” Abante said during a press conference.
“Sana nare-recognize din niya na kasama sa responsibilidad ng Kamara, hindi lang ‘yung makapag-request siya, kundi kasama sa responsibilidad ng Kamara suriin ang paggamit ng pondo na nailaan sa [OVP] at ma-justify din ng [OVP] ang budget na hinihingi nila,” she added.
“We will wait and see kung talagang ire-recognize talaga ni VP Sara ang budget role ng House of Representatives at rerespetuhin ang proseso ng pag-apruba ng budget.”
During last year’s budget deliberations for the 2024 national budget, the House slashed the OVP’s initial P2.026 billion budget proposal down to P733.2 million—a reduction of over P1.3 billion.
A major factor behind the reduction was public concern over the OVP’s request for P500 million in confidential and intelligence funds, which accounted for roughly 21 percent of the original proposal.
The move followed revelations that the OVP had spent P125 million in confidential funds within just 11 days in late 2022—a disbursement flagged by the Commission on Audit.
House leaders emphasized that all budget items—especially confidential funds—must be supported by solid documentation, clear performance metrics, and full transparency to uphold public accountability.
Responding to Duterte’s claim that she no longer asked for a larger budget to avoid “embarrassing” her personnel, Abante dismissed the narrative as misleading.
“Wala naman pong pinapahiya ang House of Representatives sa budget process. Kasama sa trabaho ng House to scrutinize the use of public funds for the funds allocated to them and funds that they are requesting for,” Abante said.
“Walang pagpapahiya dito. Ang importante lang sumagot ng tama, sumagot ng ayon sa mga dokumento na meron—hindi naman para sa personal na pulitika, ito ay para sa mamamayang Pilipino na we are accountable to,” she added.
Abante emphasized that the scrutiny of public funds is not a political act but a constitutional duty to ensure that government spending truly serves the public.
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