THERE has been only one instance, post-EDSA, where an agency was given a peso budget, and that was through a motion made by then-senator Ernesto Maceda, who moved for the defunding of the Economic Intelligence and Investigation Bureau (EIIB) under the Department of Finance. The EIIB head was Joe Almonte, and the policy debate then was about the effectiveness of EIIB in combating smuggling.

Some members of the 19th Congress seem unable to understand the difference between an institution viz a person. Such is the case with the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Vice President Sara Duterte. The institution and the person represent two distinct yet interconnected concepts within the framework of the Philippine government. Article VI of the 1987 Constitution is about the executive department. Section 3 speaks of the vice president, the person. Sections 4, 5 and 6 refer to the institution, OVP.