The Bicameral Committee (Bicam) on Tuesday approved the proposed 2026 budget for the Office of the President (OVP) at P889.2 million, maintaining the same allocation as submitted under the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

This comes after the House of Representatives had earlier reduced the OVP’s budget to P733 million. The reduction stemmed from Vice President Sara Duterte’s decision not to defend her office’s budget during budget deliberations.

Duterte previously explained that certain portions of the fund—including around P625 million from 2022 to 2023—were allocated for confidential purposes and were related to a pending impeachment case.

She said she could not provide details at the time to avoid compromising national security.

The OVP has assured the public that all funds are spent in accordance with government laws and regulations, emphasizing that no excessive or improper spending occurred in the previous year, in line with the Commission on Audit’s report.