OVP receives P233.7 million more than original allocation

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Vice President under Sara Duterte has received P233.7 million more than the original allocation of P713.4 billion under the General Appropriations Act of 2022.

Documents reviewed by The STAR showed that the Office of the Vice President (OVP)’s 2022 budget ballooned by 32 percent to P947.1 million as of end-2022 from the original P713.4 million.

A total of P125 million – more than half of the additional budget – was allocated for confidential expenses.

This was reflected in the 2022 fourth quarter summary of appropriations, allotments, obligations, disbursements and balances uploaded on the OVP website.

Duterte took over the vice presidency from Leni Robredo on June 30, 2022.

Unlike the P500-million confidential fund that Duterte’s OVP received this year, the P125 million allocated last year did not go through budget deliberations as the adjustment was made after the law was passed.

The P125 million was lodged as a “contingent fund” under the office’s special purpose funds.

Based on the financial documents, the OVP also received an additional P96.4 million for financial assistance and subsidies last year, also under the same items as the confidential expenses.

While adjustments in the budget are not prohibited, the additional funding is noticeably higher than in previous years.

In 2021, the OVP under Robredo received an additional budget of P45.4 million, mainly to cover miscellaneous personnel benefits and pension funds. The office’s total appropriations increased from P908.8 million to P954.2 million.

The prior year, the OVP’s total appropriations even went down from the original allotment of P708 million to P674.5 million.

In its audit report on OVP’s 2022 budget, the Commission on Audit (COA) said the increase in the office’s allotment for maintenance and other operating expenses was “due to the release of additional allotment” for medical assistance and confidential expense.

COA said the confidential expense “pertains to the expenses for the safe implementation of various projects and activities under the Good Governance Program and the conduct of official engagements, and functional representation in international and domestic events as instructed by the President.”

It was unclear from where the additional budget was sourced. General provisions on the 2022 budget and guidelines issued by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) outline the rules of modification and augmentation of appropriations, including the use of savings.

The OVP has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the additional budget it received last year, including a question on whether Duterte specifically requested for the confidential expenses.

Malacañang also did not respond when asked if President Marcos, who was Duterte’s runningmate in the 2022 polls, was the approving authority for the OVP’s additional allotment.

In an earlier statement, the OVP maintained that the confidential funds were used “for its intended purpose and in accordance within the guidelines set by the national government.”

Robredo did not receive any confidential fund throughout her term as vice president.