As Vice President Sara Duterte showed up alone at the House Committee on Appropriations hearing on Tuesday, September 16, representing the Office of the Vice President (OVP), the committee Vice Chair and Palawan 2nd District Rep. Jose Pepito Alvarez cleared the air, stating it was he who requested to defer the budget deliberation last week.

“To clear the air…last Friday, hindi po si Vice President Sara Duterte ang ‘no show.’ Ako po ang nag request na i-defer,” he said, adding that he advised the OVP staff to also skip the hearing since their office sent a letter that said an assistant secretary would be present to defend the OVP budget.

“Kaya naandito tayo today to deliberate on the budget request of the OVP. Hindi po [totoo 'yung] speculation na no-show si Vice President Sara Duterte noong Friday, ako po ang nag-request para i-defer,” Alvarez continued. “The air is now clear.”

Under House tradition, only the head of an agency or an undersecretary-level official is allowed to defend the budget.

Last week, the Committee on Appropriations postponed the OVP 2026 budget deliberation after hours of delay. RH Milky Rigonan reported that lawmakers initially debated whether to proceed without the Vice President or her officials present.