The Senate on Wednesday quickly approved the reduced P733-million budget of the Office of the Vice President for next year.

The House of Representatives pruned the budget for the office of Vice President Sara Duterte, which was set at P2.026 billion.

Duterte attended the budget deliberations of her office, which ended in less than 10 minutes.

News reports said Duterte estimated that 200 personnel in the Office of the Vice President could lose their jobs. Programs, such as the free bus ride programs could be affected, reports said.

Senator Ronald Dela Rosa earlier asked Senator Grace Poe, the sponsor of the Office of the Vice President’s budget, if he could later propose some amendments.

“In the proper time, in the period of interpellation, if it is okay with the good sponsor, I would like to introduce some amendments to the OVP budget,” Dela Rosa said.

Poe said she welcomed his proposal but it was up to the plenary to approve it.

Senator Bong Go urged the senators to increase or restore the Office of the President’s budget to the amount initially approved in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) of P2.026 billion

“The OVP has been able to implement essential programs that directly benefit our citizens, especially during typhoons and calamities. The Office of the Vice President responds to these needs,” Go said.

“The reduction in the OVP's budget directly affects its ability to deliver services to people from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao…That’s why I am calling on our colleagues here to increase or restore the funds in the 2025 NEP so that our vice president, who is part of the executive branch of government, could work properly,” he added. Jaspearl Tan/DMS