EVEN a leader of the House minority bloc has expressed her full support to providing the Office of the Vice President (OVP) a bigger budget for next year.

Based on the 2023 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the OVP under the leadership Vice President Sara Duterte is asking for nearly P2.3 billion in appropriations more than thrice the budget allocated for the office in 2022.

House Deputy Minority Leader and Bagong Henerasyon Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera said she believes that every centavo of the OVP budget will be spent wisely to implement existing and upcoming programs and projects of the second highest office in the land.

“I fully support the proposed 2023 budget of the OVP because I believe in the capabilities of VP Sara and I’m sure that the funds allocated to her office will be put to good use,” Herrera said.

“The nearly P2.3-billion allocation will allow the OVP to sustain its operations and reach more people in need of government support,” she added.

The 2023 budget proposal of the OVP is over three times higher than the P713.2 million it received this year.

Herrera said the budget increase is “completely justified” and its use is not without safeguards.

She cited the special provisions in the NEP, particularly the requirement for OVP to submit quarterly reports on its financial and physical accomplishments within 30 days after the end of every
quarter.

The NEP provides that the OVP shall send written notice when said reports have been submitted or posted on its website to the DBM, House of Representatives, Senate, House Committee on Appropriations, Senate Committee on Finance, and other offices where the submission of reports is required under existing laws, rules, and regulations.

Another special provision is the OVP’s appropriations for its activities or projects.

According to reports, the OVP under Duterte has been providing medical and burial assistance since assuming office on July 1.

It also launched its Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Service-Libreng Sakay program, wherein five buses were deployed in Metro Manila and the cities of Davao, Cebu, and Bacolod.

At the same time, the OVP opened satellite offices in the cities of Dagupan, Cebu, Tacloban, Zamboanga, Davao, and Tandag in Surigao del Sur to make its services more accessible to the people.

It also plans to establish an official residence for the country’s second highest official, which would also benefit future occupants of the post.