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Delon Porcalla - The Philippine Star
September 23, 2026 | 12:00am
Office of the Vice President Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez (3rd from left), also the chief of staff of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, attends the budget hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations on Sept. 2, 2026.
PNA photo by Joan Bondoc
MANILA, Philippines — The proposed P785.2-million 2027 budget of the Office of Vice President – which is 11.7 percent lower than this year’s P889.2 million allotment – breezed through House plenary deliberations without any interpellations yesterday.
OVP assistant chief of staff Lemuel Ortonio represented the agency before lawmakers, after his boss, chief of staff Zuleika Lopez submitted a medical certificate asking to be excused from the deliberations.
“We don’t want anything unwelcome to crop up... They were already asking questions during the briefing. It’s just the same. There’s nothing to worry about,” House appropriations committee vice chair and Palawan Rep. Jose Alvarez said during yesterday’s budget hearing.
Alvarez expressed belief that the matter has nothing to do with the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
“We will not look into whether or not she is impeached. The budget is the budget,” he noted. — Evelyn Macairan
