By Omar Fernando

DAVAO CITY – Despite budget constraints, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) remains resolute in delivering crucial services and advancing its operations to benefit the nation.

Vice President Sara Duterte assured this at a press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 13, following the Senate deliberations on OVP’s budget.

The Senate approved the OVP’s 2025 budget, totaling PHP733 million, per the Finance Committee's proposal.

Even before the bell could ring for the first round, former President Rodrigo Duterte had inflicted the House of Representatives’ Joint Committee on Public Accounts, Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Security and Human Rights (QuadCom) a beating they will never forget.

Quadcomm had earlier invited the former President to attend its hearing on Nov. 13. This was a follow-up to a previous invitation set on Nov. 7, which FPRRD, through his counsel, Martin Delgra, had declined.

Contrary to the government’s recent claim that the Philippines is safer and people are more secure, a recent Social Weather Stations survey indicated a concerning increase in traditional crimes and cybercrime victimization rates compared to previous polls.

The Legal Cooperation Cluster (LCC) of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) strongly asserted that the recent arrests and detention of Porferio Tuna, Simeon Naogsan, and Wigberto Villarico were fully justified, legal, and moral.