00:00Vice President Sara Duterte took the hot seat as she faced the House Committee on Appropriations to defend her office's 2026 budget.
00:08Lawmakers didn't beat around the bush, raising questions about her string of foreign trips and how public funds were spent.
00:15Armela Las Moras narrates the story.
00:30This was emphasized by Vice President Sara Duterte following her appearance at the deliberation of the House Committee on Appropriations regarding their proposed budget for next year.
00:54During the hearing, one of the main points discussed by the lawmakers was the Vice President's series of foreign trips.
01:01In her report, VP Sara mentioned that her travels include visits to Germany in July 2024, Denmark in December 2024, and Japan in January and February of this year.
01:13She also went to Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Qatar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Australia from March to June.
01:20From July to this September, some of the other countries she visited include South Korea, Kuwait, France, and Belgium.
01:29While she personally covered her own expenses, the Vice President admitted that the cost for her accompanying staff and security detail
01:50came from their official budget.
01:51The total for nine trips for both the security and OVP personnel is 7,473,887.70.
02:05For 2026, the proposed budget for the office of the Vice President is more than 902.8 million pesos.
02:13Among their primary programs are the provision of medical and bureau assistance, relief goods, free rides, and disaster response.
02:21During the Interpolation Act, teachers-partirist Representative Antonio Tino questioned why the obligation and disbursement rate of the OVP remains slow in 2025, even though the year is nearly over.
02:32Maraming kaming procurement na tumagal, hindi siya nasimulan by January, Madam Chair, yung procurement.
02:41So maraming mga procurement na June, July, August na nasimulan.
02:48Marami pong mga attachments na nire-require para sa procurement.
02:53At lahat pong mga documents na yun ay hindi po siya nakukuha ng isa-dalawang araw lamang.
02:59After more than an hour, the deliberation was terminated and the proposed OVP budget passed at the committee level.
03:06In a media interview, the Vice President also gave an update regarding her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who's still in detention in the Hague, Netherlands.
03:15He's okay. Nag-usap kami about politics, nag-usap kami about flood control, nag-usap kami about love life niya.
03:30Melalas Moras from the National TV Network for a New and Better Philippines.
