By Bea Rollo
(January 30, 2025) – Pres. Bongbong Marcos Jr. on Thursday maintained that no blank allocations exist in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) or the national budget amid allegations of irregularities in the spending plan.
Speaking at the 20th National Convention of Lawyers in Cebu City, Marcos assured the public that he personally reviewed the entire 4,057-page GAA and found no missing or blank items.
“I reviewed it, analyzed it, and even vetoed parts of it. Up to now, I can’t find those damned blank items. We’ll keep looking, but I am convinced they simply do not exist because it is not allowed to exist,” Marcos said.
A group led by Davao City’s 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab and former Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez recently filed a petition before the Supreme Court, seeking to nullify the budget, which they described as a “biggest money heist” due to alleged constitutional violations involving “blank allocations.”
Recently, Acting House Appropriations Committee chairperson Stella Quimbo acknowledged the presence of blanks in the budget as approved by the bicameral conference committee. However, she assured the public that there was no irregularity in the process, emphasizing that the signed national budget was “legal, valid, and fully enforceable.”
Despite this, Marcos maintained that such blank items “do not exist” and are “not allowed to exist” in the said GAA.
“So for those of you who think that the presidency is just handshakes and photo [opportunity], I assure you that fine print is alive in my office as well,” Marcos assured.
(AAD)
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