MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. made a bold statement in response to growing concerns over the constitutionality of the 2025 national budget, rejecting claims that the government might face a shutdown if the Supreme Court rules against it.
Marcos criticized those behind the petition, calling them out for allegedly seeking to destabilize the government. “This is exactly what they want—shut down everything. They want the government to grind to a halt so they can push their destabilization agenda forward,” he said to reporters. “Let them have their way, but the General Appropriations Act (GAA) is rock-solid in terms of constitutionality.”
The petitioners, including Marcos’ former executive secretary and senatorial aspirant Vic Rodriguez, and Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab, are challenging the legality of the 2025 budget, arguing that it contains irregularities, including so-called “blank items” in the bicameral conference committee report. The case names House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Senate President Francis Escudero, and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin as respondents.
Despite the challenge, Marcos expressed confidence that the budget would stand up to scrutiny. “SolGen Menard [Guevarra] assures me we’re on solid constitutional ground. I don’t understand why they even bother with this nonsense,” he remarked, adding that the Solicitor General would handle the case in court.
Addressing the allegations about blank items, the president reaffirmed that the P6.326 trillion budget was thoroughly vetted. House Committee on Appropriations chairperson Stella Quimbo also reiterated that no blank items existed in the bill signed by Marcos.
On December 30, Marcos signed the budget into law, though he exercised his veto power to remove over P194 billion in line items he deemed inconsistent with his administration’s priorities.
Rodriguez, on the other hand, stood firm, asserting that a government shutdown would not occur even if the court sides with the petitioners. “If the high court issues a restraining order, the government will operate on a reenacted budget. It won’t shut down,” he countered. “Our petition is about safeguarding public funds, preventing misuse, and upholding the rule of law.”
As the legal battle continues, both sides remain steadfast in their positions, setting the stage for a prolonged standoff over the future of the 2025 national budget.
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MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has accused those challenging the constitutionality of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) before the Supreme Court (SC) of attempting to destabilize the government.
Speaking in Lapu-Lapu City on Thursday (30 Jan 2025), Marcos said that if the SC rules against the budget, there is no contingency plan in place. He added that this would be a deliberate attempt to paralyze government operations.
Marcos dismissed the petitioners’ claims, which challenge the legality of certain provisions in the 2025 budget, particularly alleging “blank items” in the bicameral report that could undermine transparency.
“Their assertion is very difficult to defend,” he said, expressing confidence in the strength of the government’s position.
Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, who will represent the government in the case, assured that the budget is on solid constitutional ground.
Despite the petition, Guevarra emphasized that the constitutionality of the 2025 GAA is legally presumed until proven otherwise.
The petitioners, including Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab and former government officials, argue that the lack of specific details in the budget undermines fiscal accountability.
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MANILA – Senate President Francis Escudero has once again dismissed accusations of irregularities in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), describing them as unfair and overlooking the rigorous legislative process that both houses of Congress, along with their staff, underwent to finalize the budget.
Escudero’s comments came in response to a petition filed with the Supreme Court (SC) challenging the constitutionality of specific provisions in the GAA. The petitioners, led by former executive secretary Vic Rodriguez and other former government officials, argue that certain budget allocations violate legal principles and should be invalidated.
In a press briefing on Tuesday (28 Jan 2025), Escudero emphasized that the accusations failed to acknowledge the comprehensive work done by lawmakers and their staff.
“For me, that is an unfair comment and accusation, especially considering the extensive work put into it, not only by the chairpersons and vice chairpersons of the Senate and the House of Representatives, but also the staff,” Escudero said.
The Senate President also noted that the legal challenge reflects the increasingly heated political environment, where government actions are heavily scrutinized and litigated. “That is a sign of how intense politics is in our country, but it’s also part of our democratic system. It should not be feared or avoided,” Escudero added.
While acknowledging that government officials should remain accountable to public scrutiny, Escudero pointed out that any disputes over the budget should ultimately be resolved in the courts.
The petition names the House of Representatives, the Senate of the Philippines, and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin as respondents.
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MANILA – Malacañang has condemned as “fake news” recent claims circulating online regarding the 2025 national budget, calling the accusations from supporters of a former president baseless and harmful.
In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin strongly refuted reports suggesting that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed the budget with intentionally blank sections, alleging a “blank check” scheme for future budget allocations.
“The spreading of such fake news is outrightly malicious and should be condemned as criminal. Not a single page of the 2025 National Budget was left unexamined before the president signed it into law,” Bersamin asserted.
The 2025 budget, consisting of 4,057 pages in two volumes, underwent an exhaustive review by Congress and professionals from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), according to Bersamin.
“This detailed, line-by-line scrutiny is a pre-enactment check carried out by diligent civil servants to ensure that the General Appropriations Act (GAA) is free from discrepancies in the amounts being allocated,” he explained.
While Bersamin did not directly name the former president involved, a podcast video posted on Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte’s YouTube account featured former President Rodrigo Duterte and Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab claiming that at least 13 pages of the budget contained blank appropriations.
Bersamin emphasized that such allegations were completely unfounded, stressing that no part of the budget was left blank. He encouraged the public to examine the full budget available on the DBM’s website.
“The facts and the figures in the GAA easily disprove the malicious claims of blank spaces,” he said. “The former president and his allies should know better that the GAA cannot and should not contain blank items.”
Bersamin urged the former president’s camp to act responsibly and cease spreading falsehoods.
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