IN a decisive move to maintain essential government services and protect jobs, House leaders have rallied behind Speaker Martin G. Romualdez’s appeal to rationalize the budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and retain the P733-million budget proposal from the Committee on Appropriations.
This comes amidst calls from some lawmakers to further reduce the OVP budget, with some pushing to slash the budget to zero following Vice President Sara Duterte’s repeated absences from the budget hearings.
“Bilang Speaker, nauunawaan ko ang mga sentimyento ng ilang kasamahan ko sa Kongreso tungkol sa hindi pagdalo ni Vice President Sara Duterte sa mga deliberasyon ng plenaryo para sa badyet ng kanyang tanggapan,” Speaker Romualdez said.
“Tatlong beses siyang inanyayahan, ngunit hindi siya sumipot. Bilang mga kinatawan ng sambayanan, umaasa kami na tutuparin ng lahat ng opisyal ng gobyerno ang kanilang mga tungkulin, lalo na kung ang usapan ay tungkol sa pambansang badyet,” he added.
But Speaker Romualdez emphasized the importance of keeping the OVP funded to ensure that services provided by the office continue uninterrupted and to safeguard the jobs of its employees.
“May ilang miyembro ng Kongreso na nagmungkahi na bawasan pa ang badyet ng Office of the Vice President, at ang iba pa ay nagpanukala na gawing zero ang pondo ng tanggapan dahil sa kanyang hindi pagsipot,” the House leader revealed.
“Ngunit tinanggihan ko ang mga mungkahing ito. Naiintindihan ko ang mga pagkadismaya, pero naniniwala ako na mahalaga pa ring magkaroon ng sapat na badyet ang Office of the Vice President para magpatuloy sa paglilingkod sa ating mga kababayan,” he added.
That, he said, was the reason why he appealed to leaders of all political parties in the House of Representatives late Wednesday to convince other House Members to just adopt the recommendation based on the Committee Report submitted by the Committee on Appropriations to the plenary.
“Kaya naman, alinsunod sa ating konsultasyon sa mga lider ng partido pulitikal mula sa Nacionalista Party (NP), Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), National Unity Party (NUP), Party-list Coalition Foundation, Inc., at iba pa, aming sinunod ang rekomendasyon ng Committee on Appropriations matapos ang kanilang masusing pagrepaso,” Speaker Romualdez explained.
“Mahalaga pa ring magkaroon ng sapat na badyet ang Office of the Vice President para magpatuloy sa paglilingkod sa ating mga kababayan,” he said, addressing the concerns of his colleagues.
The House Appropriations Committee previously approved the P733-million allocation, which closely mirrors the budget allocated to former Vice President Leni Robredo. The budget includes P30 million to account for inflation.
“Ang magiging badyet para sa OVP ay P733 milyon na halos kapareho ng badyet noong panahon ni Vice President Leni Robredo. Kasama na dito ang P30 milyon na makakatulong sa pagharap ng OVP sa epekto ng pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin,” he said.
However, a portion of the budget initially intended for the OVP’s satellite offices and certain social services will be redirected to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DOH).
“Mas mainam na ang mga serbisyong ito ay pamahalaan ng mga ahensyang mas sanay at may kakayahan,” Speaker Romualdez explained.
Despite Vice President Duterte’s controversies and absences during the hearings, Romualdez insisted that the OVP’s continued operation is critical. He stressed the role of the OVP in endorsing requests for assistance to relevant agencies such as the DSWD and DOH to ensure transparency and prevent any misuse of funds.
“Ang ilan sa mga pondo na orihinal na hiningi ng OVP ay ilalagay sa mas angkop na mga ahensya tulad ng Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) at Department of Health (DOH). This will rationalize the budget of the OVP,” Romualdez said.
“Maaaring mag-refer si Vice President Duterte ng mga taong lumalapit sa kanyang tanggapan para sa kaukulang tulong sa nasabing mga ahensya,” he added.
While some lawmakers had pushed for more drastic cuts due to the Vice President’s no-shows, Romualdez defended the approved budget, reiterating that it strikes a balance between accountability and the public’s need for services.
“Sa huli, mahalaga ang patuloy na serbisyo para sa kapakanan ng ating mga kababayan, at kailangan ng mga tanggapan katulad ng OVP ang sapat na pondo upang magawa ito,” he stressed.
“Bagaman inaasahan natin ang pananagutan at pakikilahok, mahalaga rin na tiyakin na magpapatuloy ang serbisyo-publiko para sa ikabubuti ng lahat,” he added.
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