Despite word wars, OVP gets more as requested
Despite her toxic relationship with President Marcos, Vice President Sara Duterte has managed to convince Malacañang to raise her office’s proposed budget for next year by P170 million.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has granted the requests of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to raise its budget from the original P733 million to P903 million, OVP spokesperson Ruth Castelo said on Wednesday.
Castelo clarified that the proposed budget does not include confidential funds, the alleged misuse of which by the OVP in 2024 prompted a House of Representatives’ inquiry and led to Duterte’s impeachment.
“If they want to give [us confidential funds], then okay. But the Office of the Vice President will no longer be asking for it,” she told reporters in a briefing.
From its initial proposal of P733 million, the OVP requested an increase of P70 million and then another P100 million to fund the hiring of additional employees and purchase of IT equipment.
Both requests for increase were granted by the DBM.
Pressed for details on the type of work to be done by the additional personnel, Castelo said it would be a “mix” of roles, with some employees to be deployed to various satellite offices.
“We can just hope and pray that [the Congress] see the need for this budget,” Castelo said, giving assurance that the “full complement” of the OVP will attend the congressional hearings on the 2026 budget.
Impeachment
The executive department’s budget, called National Expenditure Program, is submitted to Congress after the President delivers his State of the Nation Address this month.
Duterte is currently facing an impeachment complaint before the Senate impeachment court for her alleged misuse of confidential funds amounting to P612.5 million, among other reasons.
Duterte announced last month that she would be seeking an OVP budget of P733 million for 2026, roughly the same amount as this year’s allocation. She said she expected a bigger budget request to be rejected.
“[S]ince we are not allied with the administration and from what we saw last year, if you are not with them and not allied with them, you will not get the funds needed for your office’s projects,” she said then.
For 2025, the OVP had a proposed budget of P2.03 billion before the House cut P1.3 billion, leaving only P733.198 million.
Lawmakers cited the OVP’s overlapping functions with other agencies such as the Departments of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Health (DOH) for the cut.
Of the P1.3 billion, P646.5 million was realigned to the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations program, and P646.5 million to the DOH’s Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients program.
Not an attack dog
In the press briefing, Castelo said several of the OVP’s satellite offices had to be shut, with some personnel removed or transferred, due to its “little” budget.
“Whatever meager resources that the office has, it is given to other priority areas which the office finds very important. So, for this year, I understand there would be no medical and burial [assistance],” Castelo said.
It was Castelo’s first press briefing as OVP spokesperson. She took over from Michael Poa, who left in November 2024.
“There was no convincing [on] the part of the Vice President or the staff. They did not need to convince me,” she said, admitting that she filed an application letter for the post.
Castelo outlined her duties, saying she would speak on behalf of the OVP as an institution and Duterte on her official acts as the second-highest official of the country.
“Number one, I am not an attack dog. So, not being an attack dog, I will not go on the offensive. I will just report. I’ll be straightforward, report on what message the Office of the Vice President means,” she said.
