QUEZON CITY, Philippines — The House of Representatives rapidly terminated the period of sponsorship and interpellation for the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed ₱785-million budget for fiscal year 2027 on Tuesday, September 22, taking less than two minutes to complete the process.
The entire procedure took precisely one minute and 45 seconds during plenary deliberations for the proposed ₱7.2-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB). In contrast to previous years marked by intense friction between lawmakers and Vice President Sara Duterte, the proceedings unfolded quietly without any floor debate.
OVP Assistant Chief-of-Staff Lemuel Ortonio attended on behalf of Vice President Duterte. Palawan 2nd District Representative Jose “Pepito” Alvarez, tasked with defending the allocation, opted against delivering a formal sponsorship speech.
ACT Teachers Party-list Representative Antonio Tinio, the sole minority member present on the floor, declined to interpose questions and instead moved to end the proceedings.
“Mr. Speaker, I move to terminate the period of interpellation and debate on the Office of the Vice President’s budget,” Tinio manifested.
With immediate backing from the majority, presiding officer and La Union 1st District Representative Paolo Ortega V approved the motion after receiving no floor objections.
Speaking to reporters after the session, Alvarez explained that additional questioning was unnecessary following prior committee-level briefings.
“Eh kasi last time, nagtanong na sila doon sa budget briefing. So naki-usap tayo na, in fairness, wala naman. Na-reduce nga eh, hindi nga nag-increase eh. From 900 [million], 800 [million] na lang ngayon. Tsaka, pareho lang ang gagawin eh. Kaya useless na madami pang magtatanong,” Alvarez said.
“As a courtesy, para matapos na,” he added.
Addressing the absence of OVP Chief-of-Staff Zuleika Lopez, Alvarez noted that House leadership permitted Ortonio to represent the agency due to medical reasons.
“Nakiusap ako kasi may sakit si Zuleika. Nasa ospital daw… nung isang araw [nagsabi]. Pumayag naman yung [House] leadership na si asec na lang, Ortonio,” Alvarez clarified.