VP Sara Duterte sets conditions for House budget interpearance

Vice President Sara Duterte set two conditions for her appearance at the House of Representatives' plenary debates on the Office of the Vice President's (OVP) budget.

These conditions included the House requiring the attendance of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to defend the Office of the President's budget and the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability showing a document that the Department of Justice had lifted the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) for specific OVP personnel.

The specific OVP personnel named in the ILBO were OVP Chief-of-Staff Zuleika T. Lopez, Assistant Secretary Lemuel Ortonio, Director Rosalynne Sanchez, Director Sunshine Charry Fajarda, OVP Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta, Chief Accountant Julieta Villadelrey, and Special Disbursement Officer Edward Fajarda.

These individuals were previously questioned by the House good government and public accountability panel over OVP's disbursement of P625 million worth of confidential funds in 2022 and 2023.

No OVP official attended the plenary session, leaving budget sponsor Rep. Jose Alvarez to present the OVP's proposed budget on his own.

Duterte had sent letters assigning staffers to attend in her stead and designating an officer-in-charge due to a leave of absence.