The Supreme Court (SC) En Banc on Tuesday set for April the oral arguments for the petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Maharlika Investment Fund Act of 2023 and the General Appropriations Act of Fiscal Year 2025 (GAA).
In a press conference, SC spokesperson Camille Ting said the arguments will be held at the En Banc Session Hall, SC Baguio Compound, Baguio City.
She announced that the oral arguments in the case challenging the validity of Maharlika fund is scheduled on April 22 while the oral arguments for the GAA is set on April 1.
Aquilino Pimentel III et al. is challenging the validity of the Maharlika fund and request a temporary restraining order and/or writ of preliminary injunction.
Ting said “the SC impleaded the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Land Bank of the Philippines, and Development Bank of the Philippines as respondents in this case.
The High Tribunal directed them to file their respective comments within a non-extendible period of 10 days from notice.
Meanwhile, lawyer Victor Rodriguez et al. argue that the GAA is unconstitutional for failing to allocate mandatory funding for PhilHealth, unlawfully increasing appropriations beyond the President’s recommendations.
They added it allocated the highest budget to infrastructure over education, and that the GAA is unconstitutional since the Bicameral Committee Report on the General Appropriations Bill contained blank items.
The SC will be holding a preliminary conference next week for both cases, setting the Maharlika fund issue on February 26 while the GAA case will be on February 28.
House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipel, on the other hand, accused political allies of the Dutertes of trying to weaponize the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) to retaliate against members of the House of Representatives who voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.
Dalipe made the accusation yesterday in reaction to the call of Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, who served as Speaker during the Duterte administration, to suspend House leaders whom Alvarez and some allies have accused of falsification of public documents before the OMB in connection with the budget insertions/blanks issue.
Dalipe said Alvarez’s suspension call “is a desperate attempt to weaponize the Ombudsman for political retaliation because the House remains steadfast in upholding transparency and accountability, regardless of political affiliations.”
However, Dalipe expressed confidence that the OMB would not allow itself to be used by Duterte allies.
“We trust that the Ombudsman will not allow itself to be used as a tool for political games and will dismiss this baseless request for preventive suspension. Speaker Romualdez and the House leadership will continue working for the people, unshaken by these desperate political maneuvers,” he said.
The House leader also labeled the Alvarez complaint and suspension call as a tactic to divert attention away from the impeachment of Vice President Duterte.
“Clearly, they are using this complaint as a diversionary tactic to shift public attention away from the real issue—the impeachment case against the Vice President and the accountability questions she must answer,” he said.
He questioned the timing of the actions of Alvarez and Duterte allies.
“The timing of this complaint is telling. It is meant to pressure the House and create a false narrative that undermines the integrity of its leadership. However, we will not be intimidated by these tactics. The House remains focused on serving the Filipino people, ensuring government funds are used properly, and holding public officials accountable, regardless of political connections,” he said.
Dalipe said the suspension proposal is also meant to disrupt the work of the House.
“The request for the Ombudsman to order the preventive suspension of House leaders is a blatant political maneuver aimed at disrupting the work of Congress. It is no coincidence that this comes at a time when discussions on the impeachment have gained traction,” he said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “SC sets April oral arguments on 2025 budget, Maharlika fund”