President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. reaffirmed on Thursday that the bicameral conference committee report concerning the 2025 national budget does not contain any blank pages.
During his address at the 20th National Convention of Lawyers held in Cebu City, Marcos stated that he thoroughly reviewed and assessed the 4,057 pages of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2025.
“And so, for those of you, up to now I cannot find those damned blank items. We’ll keep looking, we’ll keep looking. But I’m really convinced that they simply do not exist because it is not allowed to exist,” he said.
“So for those of you who think that the Presidency is just handshakes, photo ops, I assure you, that fine print is alive in my office as well,” he added.
On December 30, 2024, Marcos enacted the P6.326-trillion national budget for 2025, while vetoing over P194 billion in line items that did not align with the priorities of his administration.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte and Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab had previously raised concerns regarding alleged inconsistencies in the 2025 budget.
In response, Marcos accused Duterte of “lying.”
Former executive secretary and senatorial candidate Vic Rodriguez, along with Ungab and others, have petitioned the Supreme Court to declare the 2025 national budget unconstitutional, citing alleged irregularities and claims of blank items in the bicameral conference committee report.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin stated last week that the Office of the President would not be held accountable should the matter be presented to the Supreme Court. (ZIA LUNA)
