The House of Representatives has transferred ₱156 million from the proposed 2026 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) under the Department of Health (DOH).
This was announced by House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson and Nueva Ecija 1st District Representative Mika Suansing during a press briefing on Monday, October 20.
Suansing clarified that the adjustment did not affect OVP funds allocated for salary increases of its staff, and operational expenses were even increased to ensure the office can continue fulfilling its mandate.
The reallocated funds were originally intended for OVP programs providing financial aid that other government agencies could administer.
“The budget for financial assistance should be lodged in the different agencies like DSWD, DOH, or DOLE. So yun po yung ginawa natin binatak po natin yun at lahat po yun napunta po sa MAIFIP,” Suansing explained.
She also emphasized that the House agreed not to touch the OVP’s salary allocations when approving the budget reduction.
“Pangalawa po na kondisyon ko na kung makakaltasan man ang OVP kailangan po yung pondo na matitira sa Office of the Vice President sapat para maipagpatuloy nila na magampanan ang mandato ng opisina and with that po even with the reduction tumaas pa rin po yung kanilang supplies expense, tumaas pa rin po `yung kanilang rent expense, yung operational expense nila tumaas pa rin po,” Suansing added.
Under the 2025 General Appropriations Bill, the OVP’s budget was ₱733 million. For 2026, the National Expenditure Program proposed ₱902 million, but the House-approved 2026 budget reduced it by ₱156 million while maintaining sufficient funding for the OVP’s essential operations.