OVP travel expenses more than double in Sara Duterte’s first full year

MANILA, Philippines – The travel expenses of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) more than doubled to P42.58 million in 2023, the first full year of Sara Duterte in position. 

In 2022, the first half of which was still part of Leni Robredo’s term, the OVP reported travel expenses of P20.11 million. Duterte succeeded Robredo on June 30, 2022.

The OVP reported the expenses in its financial statement, which is part of the annual audit report published by the Commission on Audit on Monday, December 2. 

Bulk of the expenses — almost 69% — were for local travels, which increased to P31.43 million in 2023 from P18.62 million in 2022. 

It can be recalled that, as soon as Duterte assumed the vice presidency in mid-2022, she set up satellite offices in six regions across the country to give constituents quick and easy access to services from her office. 

The OVP said the expenses covered the trips of Duterte, her immediate staff and support personnel, as well as the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG).

The 2023 expenses for foreign trips, meanwhile, amounted to P11.15 million, an increase of almost 650% from 2022’s P1.49 million. The amount covered the daily allowances and other expenses during the Vice President’s official engagements abroad. 

In 2023, the OVP also reported the following increase in personnel and costs: 

• 865 workers, from 683 in 2022
• 224 contractual personnel, from 70 in 2022
• 443 VPSPG members, from 433 in the second half of 2022.

The OVP’s manpower consists of 156 workers with plantilla positions and 709 non-plantilla. The security personnel consist more than half of the OVP workforce. – Rappler.com