AS the House of Representatives cuts the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) budget by P1.3 billion, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DoH) are set to receive increased funding next year.
In a statement on Wednesday, House Appropriations Committee Chair Elizaldy S. Co said the lower chamber finalized the slashed budget of the OVP and reallocated the funds to the DSWD and DoH.
The House Small Committee tasked to introduce changes to the 2025 General Appropriations Bill had funneled the P1.3 billion to the two agencies: P645.5 million to DWSD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations and P646.5 million for DoH’s Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients program.
Lawmakers from the chamber cited overlapping functions among the OVP, the DWSD, and the DoH, contributing to redundant expenses. This leaves the OVP with P733.198 million in the proposed budget.
The budget cut came after Vice-President Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio refused to answer lawmakers intelligently on her office’s plans for its 2025 budget and her absence in the following hearing.
“The House believes this amount could be more effectively allocated to existing agencies, enabling them to extend their services to the public more efficiently,” Mr. Co added. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana