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Philippines
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
27 C
Philippines
Tuesday, February 18, 2025

PBBM: Moves vs. nat’l budget part of destab plot

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President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday said the move challenging the constitutionality of the 2025 General Appropriations Act before the Supreme Court (SC) is part of machinations to destabilize his administration.

When asked about contingency plans should the SC rule against the administration, the President warned that he is willing to allow the government’s operations to come to a halt.

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“No, we shut down everything—that’s what they want, they want the government to seize working,” Mr. Marcos said.

“They want their destabilization efforts to continue,” he added.

However, the Chief Executive expressed confidence that this year’s national budget would pass the high tribunal’s scrutiny.

“The Solicitor General [Menardo Guevarra ] tells me that we are on solid footing in terms of constitutionality. I don’t know why they bothered to file that case because their assertion is weak,” Mr. Marcos said.

“Anyway, it’s not for me to argue—we will let SolGen make the argument before the Supreme Court,” he added.

Former Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez and Davao City 3rd District Isidro Ungab led a group of petitioners in asking the SC to declare the 2025 GAA unconstitutional.

Respondents named in the complaint are the House of Representatives, represented by Speaker Martin Romualdez; the Senate of the Philippines, represented by Senate President Francis Escudero; and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.

Speaking at the 20th National Convention of Lawyers in Cebu, the President assured that there are no “blank checks” in the 2025 national budget, saying he had gone through 4,057 pages of the budget proposal, analyzing and scrutinizing it before signing it into law.

“And so, for those of you, up to now I cannot find those damned blank items. We’ll keep looking, we’ll keep looking. But I’m really convinced that they simply do not exist because they are not allowed to exist,” he said.

“So for those of you who think that the Presidency is just handshakes, photo ops, I assure you, that fine print is alive in my office as well,” he added.

The President did not elaborate on which provisions he had vetoed or the specific concerns he addressed.

His remarks come amid ongoing debates over transparency and accountability in the national budget process.

Opposition lawmakers have previously raised concerns about potential irregularities, including alleged insertions of discretionary funds.

“But let me tell you, as President, I am going to give you a run for your money,” Mr. Marcos told them.

Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Marcos confident in gov’t case vs SC challenge on national budget”

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