Palace: VP Sara solely responsible for attending budget hearings

Malacañang on Friday said it is Vice President Sara Duterte’s responsibility to attend congressional deliberations on the proposed 2026 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the decision rests entirely with Duterte, who earlier set two conditions for her attendance at the hearings.

“Kung ‘yun po ‘yung gusto niyang gawin, kung ayaw niyang pumunta sa plenary debate, nasa kanya po iyan (If that’s what she wants to do, if she doesn’t want to attend the plenary debate — that’s up to her),” Castro told reporters.

“Kargo niya po, kargo niya po ‘yan dahil iyan naman po ay Office of the Vice President at maraming umaasa mga tao diyan ng kanyang mga tauhan. Kung ayaw niyang pong pumunta, nasa kanya po ‘yan (That’s her responsibility, because that pertains to the Office of the Vice President, and many people and her staff depend on it. If she chooses not to attend, that’s up to her),” she added.

One of Duterte’s conditions is for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to personally defend the Office of the President’s budget before the House. 

She also asked the House Appropriations Committee to produce a certification from the Committee on Good Government that immigration lookout bulletin orders against seven of her staff members have been lifted.

The OVP risks a further budget cut if Duterte refuses to attend the deliberations. Lawmakers already slashed the agency’s 2025 budget from the proposed ₱2.037 billion to ₱733 million.