THE PHILIPPINE Congress submitted to Malacañang the budget bill without any blank line items, a lawmaker said on Monday, allaying concerns about the constitutionality of the P6.326-trillion national budget this year.
In a statement, Marikina Rep. Stella Luz A. Quimbo said the 2025 budget’s bicameral conference committee authorized legislative staff members to “implement corrections” made to the spending plan, acknowledging there were blank line items in its committee report.
The 2025 national budget was put in the spotlight in mid-January after ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte said the budget bill had blank line items whose amounts were later filled out by the Executive branch, a claim that President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. denied.
“When the members of the Bicameral Committee signed the report, all appropriations had already been determined and approved — no changes were made,” she said.
“The Bicameral Report explicitly authorized the technical secretariats of both the Senate and the House of Representatives to implement corrections and adjustments as required,” she added. “These do not affect the integrity nor the legality of the budget.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
