MANILA, Philippines — Unanswered questions about the alleged "blank line items" in the 2025 national budget have sparked constitutional concerns, casting doubt on its legitimacy.
Lawmakers remain divided, offering conflicting statements. Some insist no blanks exist, while others claim to have found discrepancies.
Despite repeated queries from reporters, the House appropriations panel — responsible for the budget’s final approval in the bicameral conference committee — remains conspicuously silent on the matter.
Rep. Stella Quimbo (Marikina, 2nd District), acting appropriations chair, was ambushed by the media late Thursday night, January 23, at the Batasan Complex. Pressed for clarification, she declined to comment, reportedly being “in a rush.”
The bicameral conference committee, composed of members from the House and Senate budget panels, is tasked with resolving disagreements in appropriations and finalizing the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) before it reaches the president.
This year, the panel was led by Rep. Elizaldy Co (Ako Bicol Party-list) and Sen. Grace Poe. Quimbo was also a member of the bicam committee.
Congress ratified House Bill 10800, the original P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025, on Dec. 11, 2024.
In a Thursday interview, Rep. Raoul Manuel (Kabataan Party-list) confirmed that there were blank line items in the bicam report, with most tied to agriculture-related projects and programs. He said he found a total of 14 blank spaces.
While the final 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) contained no blank line items — after presidential vetoes brought the total budget down to P6.326 trillion — Manuel found it “problematic” that the bicam report did.
Rushed ratification of the budget
He told reporters that all House members received a digital copy of the final version that same day at 6:27 p.m. Those present in the plenary session on Dec. 11, 2024 were also given physical copies.
He explained to Philstar.com that the issue surfaced late because the House hurriedly ratified the final bicam report, or the 2025 GAB, just an hour after it was sent out.
“While lawmakers received both hard and soft copies of the bicam report, the House leadership rushed to ratify the same report via voice vote within an hour of sending, making it almost impossible for anyone to thoroughly review the 200-page document,” Manuel said.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte and Rep. Isidro Ungab (Davao City, 3rd District) first raised the question about the alleged blanks in the final budget approved by the president, suggesting these items were left empty to be filled in later.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. dismissed these claims on January 20, while the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) clarified that the bicam report and the GAB are separate documents.
What other lawmakers said
During a Thursday press conference, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, vice chair of the Senate finance committee, said that no line items in the bicam report were left blank, even in the working documents.
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Sens. Jinggoy Estrada, Sherwin Gatchalian and Joel Villanueva earlier said that no line items in the bicam report were left blank.
Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero also refuted the claims, emphasizing that the bicam report he signed did not include any blank line items.
However, Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa countered on Thursday, saying that the bicam report he received the same day it was signed did contain blank spaces.
Sen. Imee Marcos, the president's sister and a member of the bicam committee, also confirmed on Wednesday that there were blank line items in the report.
Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers Party-list) also said on Thursday there were blanks in the copy of the GAB she received, but was unsure if that was the copy transmitted to the president.
Past discrepancies in figures
Even before the blank line items were brought up, discrepancies in the figures had already surfaced.
The media obtained a copy of the bicam report through the Senate when it was ratified. However, this version only detailed budget changes and final allocations for government agencies, commissions, corporations and programs.
It was not identical to the report received by House lawmakers, which included a more detailed breakdown with amendments, line numbers, specific particulars and references to the bill’s volume and page number.
Philstar.com visited the House Bills and Index Service on Dec. 18, 2024 to request a copy of the bicam report. However, staff denied the request, saying revisions or changes might still be made.
The request was initially meant to verify figures provided by a congressman on the budgets for the education sector and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), as there were notable discrepancies with the media’s copy.
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The debate over infrastructure funding surpassing the education budget became one of the most contentious issues raised by the public.
The Constitution mandates that education receive the largest share of the national budget. Yet, the Congress-approved bill saw cuts to several education-related programs and agencies, including the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). Meanwhile, the DPWH budget saw a significant increase.
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It begs the question of whether the copy received by the media — and even lawmakers — truly reflects the final budget ratified by Congress and the version that reached the president for signing.