Duterte’s Office spent ₱20.68 Million on Travel Expenses through July 2025
Manila,Philippines - The Office of the Vice President (OVP) has reported spending ₱20.68 million on Vice President Sara Duterte‘s local and international travel between January and july 2025. The figures were disclosed during a recent press briefing concerning the OVP’s proposed 2026 budget.
According to the OVP’s budget division, ₱13.207 million was allocated to local travel, while ₱7.473 million covered expenses for international trips. Atty. Kelvin Gerome Tenido, Chief of the OVP Budget Division, clarified that these funds were specifically used for the security detail and civilian personnel accompanying the Vice President.
“The ₱17.585 million was utilized for the security personnel of the OVP and including the close-in or civilian personnel,” tenido stated. The OVP emphasized that Vice President Duterte personally covers the costs of her own travel and that of her family, and that all expenses originate from the OVP’s allocated budget, not directly from taxpayer funds.
The office affirmed that all international trips undertaken by the Vice President have been duly authorized. As of July 31st, the OVP reported remaining balances of ₱17.585 million for local travel and ₱24.026 million for international travel, indicating that approximately 40% of the local travel budget and 25% of the international travel budget have been utilized.
Looking ahead, the OVP’s proposed budget for 2026 totals ₱903 million – an increase from the ₱744 million allocated in 2025. Within this proposal, ₱20 million is specifically earmarked for travel expenses, representing the lowest proposed allocation for foreign trips since 2023, when the budget reached a high of ₱31.5 million.
when questioned about reports suggesting Vice President Duterte has visited 13 countries in 2025, and speculation regarding a potential trip to Nagoya, Japan, an OVP spokesperson declined to comment, stating, “I cannot provide information regarding the future travels of the Vice President. We will have to check on her official schedule.”
(Photo courtesy: Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook)
Keywords: Sara Duterte, Office of the Vice President, OVP, Travel Expenses, Philippines, 2026 Budget, Government Spending, Philippine Politics.
