A member of the “Young Guns” of the House of Representatives on Tuesday expressed grave concern over Sen. Jinggoy Estrada's “fierce defense” of the P2 billion allocation of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) that the chamber slashed to P733 million, saying he should not turn a blind eye to the many red flags raised by no less than the Commission on Audit (COA) itself.
House Assistant Majority Leader and Taguig City Rep. Pammy Zamora cautioned Estrada as his statements may be misconstrued as tolerance of what COA itself is flagging.
“Sen. Estrada’s fierce defense of the VP Sara Duterte’s is a cause of concern. These are not confidential funds; they are part of the regular budget that should be carefully reviewed. Public money is always scrutinized in their use,” Zamora said.
On Sunday, Deputy Majority Leader Jude Acidre and Assistant Majority Leader Jil Bongalon told Sen. Joel Villanueva to respect interparliamentary boundaries and not interfere in matters that are solely within the discretion of the House of Representatives, such as the chamber slashing by almost P1.3 billion the 2025 budget of Duterte’s office.
They both issued statements censuring Villanueva for publicly attacking the decision of the House Committee on Appropriations to reduce to P733 million the budget of Vice President Sara Duterte for failure to address lawmakers’ concerns.
Zamora highlighted the country's current economic difficulties, pointing out that every centavo of the national budget must be spent wisely, especially with rising costs affecting ordinary Filipinos.
She called for a thorough review of the OVP's budget, and emphasized that the VP is being given the proper forum to air her side.
“We need to closely examine not only confidential funds but also regular budget items. They should always be used for real programs and services, Zamora said.
She also urged her fellow lawmakers to uphold their duty as guardians of the public purse.
“We owe it to the Filipino people to ensure that their taxes are used responsibly,” she emphasized.
Zamora concluded by reminding her colleagues of their responsibility to provide oversight on government spending.
“Filipinos deserve leaders who are transparent and accountable. It's our job to make sure that public funds are always used for their benefit,” she said.
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