OVP budget division chief Kelvin Gerome Tenido explained in a press conference that Duterte’s office had spent a total of P20.68 million for local and international travel from January to July 2025.
P13.21 million went to local trips while P7.47 million covered the travel of security personnel and staff accompanying the Vice President abroad.
“All the travel overseas of the Vice President is covered by a travel authority and did not include any public funds,” Tenido explained,
“the P7.47 million was utilized for the security personnel of the OVP, including the close-in or the civilian personnel," he added.
OVP assistant chief of staff Lemuel Ortonio echoed, assuring that “all the travel overseas of the Vice President is covered by travel authority and did not use any public funds.”
Duterte has traveled extensively this year, with documented trips to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia, Kuwait, Qatar, France, and the Netherlands, where she repeatedly visited her detained father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Meanwhile, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) reduced the proposed OVP budget for 2026 to P902.9 million, lower than its initial P942 million request.
Despite the cut, Tenido noted that the 2026 allocation remains 21.3 percent higher than the current P733 million budget.
On the budget deliberations, OVP spokesperson Ruth Castelo stated the office would accept any outcome, stressing, “Whether they increase it or decrease it, it’s the same thing for us. We will still do whatever needs to be done.”
She added that a larger budget would allow the OVP to expand programs, explaining, “There will just be more programs that can be accomplished and completed if the funding is bigger.”
Castelo also emphasized the proposed increase would mainly support personnel in 10 satellite offices and upgrade aging IT equipment, while clarifying criticisms about duplication of services.
REFERENCES:
[1] Cariaso, B. (2025, September 12). Sara spent P7.47 million for foreign trips. The Philippine Star. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2025/09/12/2472231/sara-spent-p747-million-foreign-trips
[2] Chi, C. (2025, September 11). OVP: Sara paid for own trips abroad, but P7.5M spent on security. Philstar.com. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2025/09/11/2472090/ovp-sara-paid-own-trips-abroad-p75m-spent-security
[3] Domingo, K. (2025, September 11). OVP spends P20.68M for int’l, local trips in first 7 months of 2025. ABS-CBN News. https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/11/p20-68m-spent-for-sara-duterte-s-trips-in-first-7-months-of-2025-ovp-1636
[4] Chi, C. (2025, September 5). OVP ‘ready for any eventuality’ as Congress deliberates 2026 budget. Philstar.com. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2025/09/05/2470695/ovp-ready-any-eventuality-congress-deliberates-2026-budget
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