Respect budget scrutiny, VP Sara told

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte should respect budget scrutiny if she will not be requesting more funds for 2026, the House of Representatives said yesterday.

“We will wait and see if VP Sara really recognizes the role of the House of Representatives in the budget process and if she will really respect the process in the approval of the budget,” House spokesperson Princess Abante said.

Duterte earlier said she will not request a higher budget for 2026 to spare her personnel of embarrassment.

At last year’s deliberations, the House slashed the Office of the Vice President (OVP)’s initial P2.026-billion budget proposal down to P733.2 million, a reduction of nearly P1.3 billion.

Public concern over the OVP’s request of P500 million in confidential and intelligence funds, accounting for roughly 21 percent of its original proposal, was a major factor behind the budget cut.

The OVP had spent P125 million in confidential funds within 11 days in late 2022 – a disbursement flagged by the Commission on Audit.

“We hope that she will also recognize that part of the House’s responsibility is to scrutinize how funds allotted to the OVP are being used and they have to justify the budget that they will ask,” Abante said.

“The House of Representatives is not embarrassing anyone in the budget process... No public shaming here. What’s important is to give the proper answer based on documents they have,” she added.

House leaders have emphasized that all budget items – especially confidential funds – must be supported by solid documentation, clear performance metrics and full transparency to uphold public accountability.