House committee approves budgets of Office of President, VP in record time
In less than 10 minutes, the House Committee on Appropriations approved yesterday the proposed budget of the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President for next year.
The proposed 1428.618 million budget of OVP for 2017 was approved in three minutes, while the OP’s 2017 119. 99 billion budget, which recorded a 607-percent increase from this year’s 12.86 billion hurdled the House panel in less than 10 minutes.
Philip Francisco Dy, chief of staff of Vice President Leni Robredo, and Rizalina Justol, the OP’s Deputy Executive Secretary for Finance and Administration, presented the proposed appropriations of the OVP and the OP, respectively. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea also attended the OP budget hearing.
It was Albay Rep. Joey Salceda who made the motion to approve the budget of the OP, but Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice interjected and immediately registered his opposition.
“I have some questions,” Erice, a member of the so-called "Legitimate 8” of the House of Representatives said, prompting Davao Rep. Karlo Nograles, chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, to temporarily suspend the hearing.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, also a member of the Legitimate 8, said though he has many questions, he would stick to the tradition that the proposed budget of the highest official in the land would not be subjected to intense grilling.
“I have many questions with respect to the proposed 2017 budget of the Office of the President. But, we have a tradition that the budget hearing of the OP shall be liberated from interpellations and we will stick to it,” he said.
He said he would ask his questions about the 600-percent increase in the OP budget during the plenary debates.
When asked if he is disappointed that he was not allowed to ask questions, Erice said in a text message: “No, sometimes we have to yield to tradition. No man is an island.”
Kabayan partylist Rep. Harry Roque also vowed to bring up his concerns during the plenary debates.
During the hearing, Justol attributed the 607-percent increase of the OP budget to the Philippines’ hosting of the 50th anniversary of the Asean summit in 2017, which was given a funding of 115.46 billion or 77 percent of the OP budget.
“The 115.4 billion was intended to cover the expenses for the leaders’ summit, the senior officials’ meeting, as well as activities for the 50th founding anniversary of the Asean in 2017,” she said.
She noted that 300-percent increase in the OP’s intelligence fund is aimed at sustaining President Duterte’s intensified campaign against drugs.
From this year’s 1500 million, the OP’s confidential and intelligence funds for 2017 increased to 12 billion, she said. OVP’s budget Vice President Robredo’s Chief of Staff and Undersecretary Boyet Dy said the reasons behind the decrease in the OVP’s budget is the transfer of the office from the Coconut Palace in Pasay City to the Quezon City Reception House, which has less utility costs and power consumption; a lean staff; and lower travel expenses.
Dy said the Vice President wants to travel with a very lean staff in her trips to far-flung areas and they do not not stay in luxury hotels.
“As much as possible, everything should be practical and you know, they would stay in places that are simple. These are the main reasons why there is a decrase in our budget projection,” he told reporters.
Robredo, chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), has reinvented the OVP into a more advocacy-centered office, with five core programs: hunger and food security, education, rural development, women empowerment, and universal health care. (With a report from Raymund F. Antonio)