Manila—Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa have expressed their support for allocating a sufficient budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to effectively fulfill its constitutional duties.
According to the Philippines News Agency, in a Viber message to reporters on Wednesday, Pimentel emphasized the necessity of providing the OVP with adequate resources to ensure the Vice President can perform her constitutional responsibilities, which include being ready to assume the presidency at any moment. Pimentel outlined that the OVP requires funding for staff, office operations, utilities, and other administrative activities such as attending meetings, conferences, and both domestic and international travel.
Meanwhile, dela Rosa addressed concerns following Vice President Sara Duterte’s statement that her office could continue to operate even without funding from Congress. Dela Rosa acknowledged the challenges that would arise from such a scenario, questioning how the Vice President’s staff would be compensated without a designated budget. He expressed confidence that the majority of his Senate colleagues would support the proposed PHP2.037-billion budget for the OVP for 2025, citing a “time-honored tradition” of parliamentary courtesy extended to the top government offices.
Dela Rosa assured that the tradition of respecting the leading offices of the government would be upheld, emphasizing the collective stance among senators to maintain this practice.