VICE President Sara Duterte Carpio attended the Senate Finance Subcommittees A and D hearings on the proposed 2024 budgets of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) Monday, September 4, 2023.

According to the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the proposed P2.385 billion 2024 budget of the OVP increased by 1.22 percent, while the proposed 2024 DepEd budget of P758.69 billion is 5 percent higher than this year’s budget.

During the committee hearings, Duterte defended the inclusion of the confidential funds in the budgets of DepEd and OVP.

Enumerating the programs under the OVP and defending her controversial confidential funds, Duterte, who appeared during the budget hearing in the Senate, said her programs include Libreng sakay and tree-planting programs,distribution of free school supplies, feeding program, peace building in communities, disaster operation center where they are giving relief good to families and students as well as other financial assistance being extended to Filipinos who belong to the poorest of the poor bracket in our society.

She clarified that aside from being the Secretary of the Department of Education, President Marcos Jr. appointed her to co-chair the National Task Force to end Local Communist Armed Conflict which she is seriously doing.

Senator Edgardo Sonny Angara, chairperson of the Committee on Finance, presides over the hearing on the proposed 2024 National Expenditure Program of the OVP.

For 2024, the Department of Budget and Management recommended a budget of P2.385 B for the OVP, which is 1.22 percent higher than its 2023 budget.

“Thank you to the Vice President and the OVP for your presentation and answering the questions very patiently. Of course, I join my colleagues in commending the Office of the Vice President for the good work it has been doing,” Angara was quoted as saying.

Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. expressed full support and moves for the approval of the proposed P2.385 billion budget of the OVP for 2024.

Sen. Revilla praised the OVP for its 108.33 percent accomplishment in terms of average satisfaction ratings for completed engagements of the OVP as reported by the office itself.

In the same hearing, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III asked the legal basis for funding the OVP confidential funds.

Pimentel raised this question as he scrutinized the inclusion of confidential funds in the Office Vice President’s (OVP) budget for 2024.

Pimentel pointed out that while Vice President Sara Duterte already manifested her office could live without a P500 million confidential fund, the OVP still included it in its proposal to the Department of Budget and Management.

“When you look at the Constitution and any other law, what legal basis led us to include it in the proposed budget… that P500 million confidential fund?” Pimentel asked Wednesday, September 4, 2023.

In response, VP Duterte cited Joint Circular 2015-01, Section 3.7, defining the confidential fund.

Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros shows interest in the details of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) P500 million confidential and intelligence funds and the agency’s primary mandates.

Hontiveros said she wanted to know the priorities of the OVP and where it will use the confidential and intelligence funds.

“I’ll pursue in plenary, during the period of interpellation and amendments, one of my main subjects of debate with the OVP regarding the confidential and intelligence funds,” Hontiveros stressed.

In response, Vice President Sara Duterte said the confidential fund is for the safe, secure and successful implementation of the programs, projects and activities, and engagements of the OVP.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, inquired about the office’s “Libreng Sakay Program,” of the OVP noting that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has the same point-to-point program.

Gatchalian said the same program of the DOTr is being funded by the national government. “How is this different and how is it being synchronized with the DOTr’s point-to-point program… I just want to understand how these two programs are working together,” the senator asked.

Usec. Zuleika Lopez replied that the OVP has an existing memorandum of agreement with the DOTr on the project of Libreng Sakay program.

She said the OVP supports the DOTr program by providing buses to the DOTr.

Meanwhile, Sen. Imee R. Marcos seeks explanation on the inordinate number of security personnel commissioned by the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

Marcos said the 433 security personnel, under the newly formed Vice President Security and Protection Group (VPSPG), had been an issue since it was created in June 2022.

“I think there were comments about the inordinate number of security that were already established. Is there an explanation for such a large number (security personnel), because it has been criticized by both the media and Congress?” Marcos said.