MANILA – The Office of the Vice President (OVP) has already spent P20.68 million for domestic and foreign travels in 2025, a figure that budget officials said represents a significant portion of its annual allocation.
Of the total, P13.207 million went to local trips while P7.473 million covered international travel for Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s official staff and security team, according to OVP budget division chief Atty. Kelvin Gerome Tenido.
“More or less around P20 million has been obligated for the travels of the OVP, including the expenses of the security personnel and the civilian personnel,” Tenido said in a press briefing.
He added that domestic travel alone has already consumed about 40 percent of the office’s 2025 budget, while foreign trips accounted for roughly 25 percent.
Assistant chief of staff Lemuel Ortonio clarified that Duterte-Carpio’s personal expenses are not shouldered by the OVP when she travels abroad. “We’d like to emphasize that all the travel overseas of the Vice President is covered by a travel authority and did not include any public funds, did not use any public funds,” Ortonio stressed.
For the proposed 2026 National Expenditure Program, the OVP is set to receive P20 million for travel out of its P902.895 million total budget — the lowest travel allocation since 2023, Tenido noted. The highest was P31.5 million.
As of this year, the OVP still has P24.026 million left for foreign trips and P17.585 million for domestic travels./PN
