By Bea Rollo
(January 20, 2025) – Pres. Bongbong Marcos on Monday strongly rejected his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte’s claims of blank allocations in the 2025 national budget.
“He’s [Duterte] lying, it’s a lie,” the President repeatedly said in an ambush interview.
Marcos addressed the issue head-on, dismissing suggestions that there are funding items left without specifics.
“He’s a [former] president, he knows that you cannot pass a GAA with a blank [page].”
“Sa kasaysayan ng buong Pilipinas, hindi pinapayagan na magkaroon ng item ang GAA na hindi nakalagay kung ano ang project at ano ‘yung gastos o pondo,” he added.
In response to critics who questioned the validity of the 4,000-page budget, Marcos said:
“People are saying it’s 4,000 pages, paano namin busisiin ‘yan? Titingnan namin isa-isa… Meron namang kopya na available sa website ng DBM. Tingnan ninyo. Huwag niyo nang busisiin isa-isa, hanapin niyo ‘yung sinasabi nila na blank check.”
Marco’s response came after remarks from Duterte, who claimed that there were blank items in the signed national budget and called it “invalid.” He even suggested that such discrepancies could be considered “falsification of law,” a criminal act.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin had earlier dismissed the accusations, calling the claims “fake news.”
ALSO READ: ‘Maliciously peddled fake news’: Palace dismisses ‘blank allocations’ in 2025 national budget
The Palace continues to stand by the integrity of the national budget, assuring that it underwent thorough scrutiny by experts to ensure transparency and accuracy.
“This meticulous line-by-line scrutiny is a pre-enactment check performed by dedicated civil servants to ensure that the GAA contained no single discrepancy in the amounts being appropriated,” Bersamin said.
While Bersamin did not name Duterte directly, his remarks clearly refuted the accusations.
Bersamin added that it is impossible for funding items to be left blank, given the rigorous review process conducted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and Congress.
“The former president and his cohorts should know better that the GAA could not contain blank items.”
(AAD)
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