The House of Representatives on Thursday terminated the plenary debates on the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed P2.3 billion budget for 2023 in more than an hour.

On the third day of the House budget deliberations, Davao de Oro Rep. Maria Carmen Zamora, who sponsored the OVP, was interpellated by three lawmakers from the minority.

Those who asked questions were Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel, and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro.

The solons quizzed Zamora about the OVP’s P50 million confidential funds, social service programs, and its satellite offices.

Zamora confirmed that the OVP’s proposed budget increased by 226.58 percent, the largest percentage increase received by a government agency from 2022 to 2023.

The House also terminated budget debates of other agencies including the Department of Migrant Workers, Anti-Money Laundering Council, Department of Education, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Dangerous Drugs Board, Department of Labor and Employment, and the Judiciary. Jaspearl Tan/DMS