House assures respect for OVP in budget talks amid Duterte impeachment

MANILA, Philippines — Despite prosecuting Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment trial, the House of Representatives will extend courtesy and respect to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) during upcoming budget talks, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said Sunday.

But that respect will not shield the Office of the Vice President (OVP) from scrutiny, he added.

“Respect is there, but it does not also mean that she should be immune from questions; that we disallow or we preclude members of the appropriations committee from asking questions about certain matters pertaining to her budget,” Alonto Adiong, who previously sponsored Duterte’s office in budget talks at the lower chamber, said in a statement.

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The OVP requested P785.20 million in funding for 2027, 11.69 percent lower than its P889.23 million budget for this year.

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A House budget calendar showed that the OVP will face lawmakers on Sept. 2, represented by its chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez.

READ: House set to tackle proposed P7.2-trillion 2027 national budget next week

READ: 2027 budget: Bicam urged to block congressional insertions

Duterte’s spending has come under repeated scrutiny from lawmakers, turning budget hearings into spectacles in recent years as the vice president clashed with congressmen demanding answers about how she used her funds.

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Allegations of fund misuse raised during congressional hearings are among the charges fueling Duterte’s impeachment trial, which the Senate impeachment court is now hearing.

She faces allegations ranging from the misuse of hundreds of millions of pesos in confidential funds to threatening President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The charges also include an allegation that Duterte amassed unexplained wealth.

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Alonto Adiong said the House “expects and hopes” that Duterte herself will attend her office’s budget deliberations.

“When it comes to agency budget requests, you should appear because the members of the House of Representatives represent the people all over the country,” he said in Filipino. /mcm