PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. accused former President Rodrigo Duterte of “lying” after the latter made allegations on the discrepancies of “blank checks” in the 2025 national budget.
Backing the earlier statement of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Marcos reiterated that the accusations thrown by Ex-President Duterte would be impossible, considering the process it takes to pass the General Appropriations Act.
“He’s lying. He’s a president, he knows that you cannot pass a GAA without any— with a blank… He’s lying,” Marcos Jr. said.
“And he’s lying because he knows perfectly well that that doesn’t ever happen. Sa buong kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, hindi pinapayagan na magkaroon ng item ang GAA nang hindi nakalagay kung ano ‘yung project at saka ano ‘yung gastos, ano ‘yung pondo,” he pressed on.
Marcos Jr.’s statement echoed the earlier disclosure by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, where he denounced the false claims circulating on social media about the intentional blank sections on the 2025 national budget to be exploited through a “blank check” scheme for future allocations.
“The peddling of such fake news is outrightly malicious and should be condemned as criminal. No page of the 2025 National Budget was left unturned before the president signed it into law,” said Bersamin.
Marcos encouraged the public to check the document to see for themselves. It is available on the website of the Department of Budget and Management.
Meanwhile, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, speaking on behalf of the Duterte camp, previously argued that Duterte’s remarks were based on the findings of Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab, coupled with the assumption that the General Appropriations Act signed by PBBM contained omissions.
“Hence, FPRRD is saying IF as charged by Ungab, the GAA was signed with infirmities, then those responsible could go to jail,” he explained.
“The former president was expressing a legal opinion on the assumption that Ungab’s charges are true and if the GAB as signed by PBBM contains the same irregularities.”
Panelo also denied that the ex-president alleged any blank item.
“He was merely expressing a legal opinion on the assumption that what Cong. Ungab was saying is true. In the same way, PBBM response is also misplaced being anchored to the wrong premise,” said Panelo in a different statement.
To recall, the 2025 national budget has been plagued with controversy since last year, with several allegations of unconstitutional provisions. Marcos Jr. has delayed its original signing for 10 days to veto certain “suspicious” programs.
