A “zero” budget will not be a problem for the Office of the Vice President as it is “ready to work without a budget”, head of office Vice President Sara Duterte has disclosed.

Duterte’s office is anticipating a huge slash in its P2.07 billion budget proposal for 2025 as a backlash in the OVP’s no show during the scheduled budget hearing on Monday (Sept. 10) conducted by the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

In a video message that the OVP shared last Wednesday (Sept. 5), Duterte admitted that speculations of a “defunding” of her office has reached her.

“Handa kami, handa ako na magtrabaho kahit walang budget,” she stressed.

However, the Lower House is reportedly not contemplating on completely paralyzing the OVP operations with a “zero” budget next year.

Instead, proposed allocations for projects that considered to be redundant or already being implemented by other agencies may no longer get the funding it needed, ACT Teacher’s Partylist Rep. France Castro said.

She cited the OVP’s medical and burial assistance programs as among those that must no longer be implemented by Duterte, pointing out that other agencies are already doing this.

Congressmen also get funding from government for their medical and burial assistance program for their constituents.

She explained: “Maliit lang iyong opisina namin, maliit lang iyong operations namin kaya kayang-kaya namin magtrabaho kahit walang budget,” said the former Davao City mayor.

Widely believed as the person behind President Ferdinand Marcos’ victory in the 2022 presidential polls, Duterte has fallen out of grace from the Marcos administration following a feud with First Lady LIza Araneta-Marcos.

The vice president has also been at loggerheads with House Speaker Martin Romualdez who is expected to challenge her presidential bid in 2028.