MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros expects Vice President Sara Duterte to personally attend upcoming budget deliberations for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), stressing that agency heads are required to participate as a standard of proper conduct.
Speaking in a radio interview with DZBB, Hontiveros—vice-chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance—noted that Senate leadership has explicitly called for the presence of agency chiefs throughout committee hearings and plenary discussions.
“I expect her to appear. Binanggit ‘yun explicitly ni [Senate President] Sherwin [Gatchalian] nung committee hearing na ineexpect talaga namin na bawat committee hearing hanggang sa plenary nandun ‘yung head of agency at hindi lamang kay VP Duterte lamang sinabi yun,” Hontiveros said.
Warning against another potential absence, the senator emphasized that accountability applies universally to all government heads, particularly the country’s second-highest official.
“[Kung hindi na naman dumating], I’m sure papansinin namin ‘yan kasi hindi ‘yan proper conduct. Sa kahit sino mang head of agency kahit pa o lalo na Vice President,” she added.
The remarks follow an October budget subcommittee hearing where the OVP’s proposed ₱785.2 million budget for fiscal year 2027 was swiftly approved in just 16 minutes. Duterte skipped the briefing, leaving OVP Chief of Staff Atty. Zuleika Lopez and other officials to represent the agency.
The proposed ₱785,204,000 budget is earmarked to fund the office’s ongoing public assistance programs nationwide. The allocation comprises ₱220.232 million for Personnel Services, ₱561.651 million for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses, and ₱3.321 million for Capital Outlay, alongside an automatic appropriation of ₱15.544 million for Retirement and Life Insurance Premiums.