Senate approves P889M OVP budget in less than five minutes

The Senate plenary overwhelmingly approved the proposed P889 million budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for fiscal year 2026 in under five minutes.

The swift approval was attributed to parliamentary courtesy, with no questions raised during the plenary session.

Vice President Sara Duterte personally attended the Senate to represent her office.

Senator Robinhood Padilla thanked the chamber for restoring the OVP budget to its P889 million level.

The Senate committee on finance had proposed to increase the OVP's budget from P733.198 million to P889.236 million, a figure that had been previously cut by the House of Representatives.

The additional funds were earmarked for Socio-Economic Projects and Stakeholders, specifically in Traveling Expenses, Supplies and Materials Expenses, Professional Services, and Financial Assistance/Subsidy.

The House and Duterte have had a confrontational relationship over allegations that the vice president had misused her confidential funds, leading to an impeachment attempt that was preempted by a Supreme Court ruling.