Quimbo insists ‘no blank items’ in 2025 national budget

MANILA, Philippines — The acting chairperson of the appropriations committee in the House of Representatives categorically declared yesterday that contrary to government critics’ claim, there were “no blank” items in the 2025 national budget that President Marcos signed in December last year and such critics were just misleading the people.

“The enrolled General Appropriations Act is complete, with no blank allocations among its more than 235,000 line items,” Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo insisted, refuting repeated claims from the camp of former president Rodrigo Duterte and others of alleged impropriety.

Quimbo pointed out that the “bicameral conference committee report explicitly authorized the technical secretariats of both Senate and the House to implement corrections and adjustments as required.”

“These do not affect the integrity nor the legality of the budget. When members of the bicam signed the report, all appropriations had already been determined and approved – no changes were made,” she explained.

The administration lawmaker and one of the economists in the lower chamber stressed that her statement is actually a “reaffirmation” of “what has already been clearly stated by the executive secretary, budget and management chief, Senate President Chiz Escudero and the President himself.”

“The 2025 GAA is lawful, valid and fully enforceable. The enrolled GAA bill has been made publicly available, providing the best evidence of its completeness and compliance with due process. Everyone can see this. Nothing is hidden,” she reiterated.

“Any suggestion of impropriety is unfounded and appears to be politically motivated rather than prompted by genuinely substantive concerns. It is unfortunate that an administrative matter is being maliciously misconstrued to create controversy where there is none,” she added.

For Quimbo, the matter has been sufficiently explained “and at a time when we face far real and urgent national challenges.”

“It would be more productive to focus on our efforts on addressing the legitimately pressing needs of our people,” she suggested.

‘Typographical errors’

The lawmaker nevertheless acknowledged that there were indeed blank items in the budget, but pointed out these were for purposes of enforcing corrections primarily because of typographical errors that lawmakers wanted rectified.

“So, notwithstanding any typographical errors or any adjustments that are needed as a result of amendments, the technical staff of both the House and the Senate are authorized to make all of these necessary corrections,” she said.

“And just to clarify or to reiterate at the point of signing by the bicam members, all the amounts of appropriations have already been decided upon. In short, all corrections of the technical staff are only ministerial in nature. Simply put, all they (technical staff) need is a calculator activity. So, in everything, they will have no discretion at all, precisely because everything has already been decided by the bicam members at the point of signing,” she added.

As to the question why the GAA has been ratified with apparently blank entries, Quimbo cited an “omnibus provision” that has always been present in all GAAs in all administrations.

“This omnibus provision is always there, allowing our technical staff the authority to make necessary corrections. It’s always there every year,” she said of both houses of Congress’ ratification.

In case of confusion about the possibility of differences in amounts in the bicam version and the printed version, then the latter will always necessarily prevail.

“There is another omnibus provision… The printed version shall prevail,” Quimbo said.

Quimbo has been designated acting chairperson of the House appropriations committee after its previous head, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, was removed from his post upon the manifestation of Marcos’ lawmaker-son Sandro when sessions resumed this month.