Citizens’ groups to take budget concerns to SC

MANILA, Philippines — Several citizens’ groups will proceed with the filing of a petition before the Supreme Court (SC) questioning the constitutionality of the P6.326-trillion budget, saying the decision of President Marcos to veto certain provisions of the General Appropriations Act did not address at least four “unconstitutional” provisions of the 2025 GAA.

At a press conference on Friday night, cause-oriented organizations belonging to the Sin Tax Coalition said that groups are now finalizing the complaint to be filed before the SC.

Citizens’ Budget Tracker coordinator, Kenneth Isaiah Ibasco Abante, said one of the constitutional violations of the 2025 budget includes amending specific laws.

“The GAA cannot amend laws previously passed by Congress, in particular, they violated the Sin Tax Law and Universal Health Care Law that require a certain percentage of revenues from sin products, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, to be allocated for PhilHealth subsidies, but Congress provided zero (budget),” Abante said.

He added that the 2025 budget also violates the Constitution, as the education budget is smaller than the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

“Education is not afforded the highest budgetary priority,” Abante said.

He added that it also exceeded the budget ceiling set by the President by bloating the unprogrammed appropriations.

Abante said the specific programs that require guarantee letters – like Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program and Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Program (MAIP) – violate the separation of powers and the constitutional doctrine of non-delegability of legislative power.

“Legislators have authority over budget execution and in practice, the guarantee letters really are approved by legislators and these payouts are used for political rallies,” he noted.

“Where do we go from here? We can address this big pork barrel scandal if concerned citizens’ groups can file cases before the Supreme Court for the 2025 budget constitutional violations,” Abante said.

He added that the 2025 budget is “licensed to steal our dignity as Filipinos.”

“While the President vetoed P26 billion of the net P289 billion in DPWH projects inserted by Congress during bicam, this still leaves behind P263 billion in DPWH projects that Congress inserted,” Abante added.

“Given the recent flooding in Bicol and terrible road conditions for provincial travels, we did not feel the impact of hundreds of billions of pesos of taxes invested in public works. Meanwhile, the important public transport projects (are) least prioritized, and this worsened traffic congestion in many parts of the country,” he said.

Abante said Congress bloated the unprogrammed appropriations to “maximize their pork.”

“While the President vetoed more than P100 billion in projects for the unprogrammed appropriations, this has no effect on the total amount that can be reallocated this year,” he said.