Malacañang on Monday rejected Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that the national government has abandoned the Office of the Vice President (OVP), saying she had all the chances to gain the administration’s support had she been more transparent about her office’s spending.
Specifically, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro took exception to Duterte’s remarks during an event in Hong Kong, telling her supporters in Filipino, “Only you continue to support the OVP, the entire government has abandoned the OVP.”
“If she says the government has abandoned the OVP, perhaps she can clarify how. The reality is, she was given the chance to defend and justify her proposed budget. No one is stopping the OVP from receiving the appropriate funding—if properly explained,” Castro said during a press briefing.
She likened the process to defending an academic thesis, noting that Duterte cannot simply expect automatic approval.
“When you submit a thesis, you must defend it before a panel. You can’t just say, ‘You decide my grade; that’s my thesis.’ No one abandoned her—perhaps she is the one who has distanced herself from the government,” Castro added.
Duterte’s remarks come amid ongoing scrutiny of her office’s use of confidential and intelligence funds, which lawmakers have questioned in recent budget hearings.
It can be recalled that the OVP was only allocated a P733.1-million budget under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), a big cut from the P2-billion budget it requested.
As a result, the Vice President said her office would discontinue providing medical and burial assistance this year as the program had no funding.
