House Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. stated that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) will remain functional despite the House of Representatives slashing its 2025 budget to P733 million from P2.03 billion.
He emphasized that this reduced amount is still larger than many budgets allocated to the OVP during former Vice President Leni Robredo’s tenure.
The House Committee on Appropriations made the budget cut, citing “redundant social programs and overextended offices” as reasons for the decision.
Gonzales highlighted that VP Sara Duterte’s budget is significantly higher than Robredo’s, which included budgets of P663.4 million in 2019 and P500 million in 2016.
The House approved the General Appropriations Bill for 2025 on September 25, 2024.
Source: PhilNews24 | October 2, 2024
