A quote attributed to Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila De Lima, claiming she pushed for “zero budget” for the Office of the Vice President in 2026, is going viral on Facebook. This is false.
During the House plenary deliberation on the proposed budget of P902.90 million for the OVP on Oct. 2, De Lima said she intended initially to move for zero budget for the OVP, but “after some reflections and out of courtesy and considerations” to the OVP staff, she considered proposing instead during the period of amendments a budget cut by retaining the allocations for salaries and maintenance and other operating expenses.
A netizen sent the Oct. 3 FB post through VERA Files’ Messenger Misinformation Tipline for verification. The spurious post featured a graphic showing De Lima’s photo along with the statement she supposedly made on Oct. 2:
“Mas inuna pa ang pagpunta sa Cebu kaysa dumalo sa kanyang Budget Hearing (She prioritized going to Cebu over attending her budget hearing). Enough of her Bratiness, I move for Zero budget of OVP”
De Lima did not move for a zero budget for the OVP, contrary to what several FB posts claimed.
In her manifestation during the budget deliberation, De Lima neither mentioned nor criticized Vice President Sara Duterte for visiting the areas affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu province.
A quick check on the congresswoman’s official FB page showed De Lima made no post containing the exact quote circulating online. A simple search on Google likewise yielded no credible media reports about such a claim.
De Lima called out Duterte’s “bratiness,” rebuking the vice president for snubbing the House plenary deliberations on the OVP budget while “showing herself up to the Senate, including being there and applauding the former Senate president in his privilege speech.” De Lima was referring to Sen. Chiz Esudero’s speech during the Sept. 29 Senate session, where he accused former House speaker Martin Romualdez of corruption.
Aside from De Lima, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co also said they will move for a significant reduction in the proposed 2026 budget for the OVP.
Posted by FB page Mr. Japayuki (created as PHIL TV on July 15, 2020), the false post has garnered 35,000 reactions, 16,200 comments and 6,000 shares as of writing. Reposts by at least three other pages and a user have collectively received 25,200 reactions, 13,824 comments and 1,791 shares.
