The Senate finance committee endorsed the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed ₱785.2-million budget for 2027 after a hearing that lasted only 16 minutes on October 20.
Vice President Sara Duterte did not attend the hearing, as she was in Davao City representing her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, at the interment of a longtime city government official.
OVP Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez and Assistant Chief of Staff Lemuel Ortonio represented the office during the proceedings.
The proposed budget is ₱104 million lower than the OVP’s approved ₱889.2-million budget for 2026, reflecting a reduction of about 11.7 percent.
Senators approved the proposal for plenary debate under the tradition of parliamentary courtesy, while Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian expressed hope that Duterte would personally defend her office’s budget during the next stage of deliberations.
Source: PhilNews24 | October 21, 2026
