The plot thickens: Fill-in-the-blanks budget

We Tagalogs have an old saying, Kung sino ang unang pumutak, siyang nangitlog, which fully sums up the latest budget controversy, a free-for-all budget, enraging the Filipino people.

We all know what happened: PBBM, his Executive Secretary and his Budget Department were quick to react after former president Rodrigo Duterte and Davao 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab flagged blank items in the Bicameral Conference Committee (Bicam) Report.

The Bicam Report, for the information of our dear readers, constitutes the final version of the reconciled separate versions of the House of Representatives and the Senate. 

Marcos Jr. was quoted saying that fPRRD is “lying” while ES Bersamin branded the revelations made during the Basta Dabawenyo Podcast last Jan. 18 as “fake news.” The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), on the other hand, called the expose “malicious and irresponsible.” 

Malacañang and DBM are clearly out of order when they argued there were no blanks in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA). This is a clear case of evasion and diversion. Never did fPRRD and Rep. Ungab mention the 2025 GAA. It was all about the signed Bicam Report having blanks. Once again, the Palace is trying to fool Filipinos to believe it was all about a GAA with no blanks, and not a Bicam Report fraught with irregularities.  

Marcos Jr.’s spin miserably failed. The current administration’s denials did not end public uproar but only heightened suspicion because many questions remain unanswered. 

Thus, my Question #1: Why did Malacañang and the DBM act as Bicam spokespersons of Bicam members? Bicam members should come clean and explain.  

The best way to disprove the Ungab revelations is to show the printed version of the enrolled bill transmitted to the Office of the President and compare it with the ratified Bicam Report.  

Remember, the figures in the Bicam Report should reflect those in the GAA. It is unlawful, as clearly asserted by fPRRD, to leave budget items open for later completion.

Rep. Raoul Manuel is the first House lawmaker to come out in the open after the Ungab exposé. The Kabataan Partylist Representative gave the “sobrang ipit ng oras” excuse. This is hardly surprising since the never-ending witch hunts against the Dutertes and their allies ate up the time and resources of the House of Representatives. 

Rep. Ungab noted that this was the first time in his 15 years in Congress, including his stint as the previous chairman of the committee on appropriations, that he encountered a Bicam Report with blanks. 

For everyone’s information, Rep. Ungab received an award from the World Health Organization for passing Republic Act No. 10351, or the Sin Tax Law of 2012, which he principally authored. The Sin Tax Law not only paved the way for the first Investment Grade Credit Rating of the Philippines in 2013 but also doubled the budget of the Department of Health during the second Aquino administration. 

The Sin Tax Law, I wish to underscore, earmarks 80 percent of the revenues for the Universal Health Care coverage of Filipinos, a piece of legislation I am proud to have authored during my stint as party-list congressman in the 17th Congress. 

In fairness, presidential sister Senator Imee Marcos confirmed and corroborated Rep. Ungab’s latest expose in an earlier privilege speech. Senator Imee’s “Papaano naman ako pipirma sa blanko’t kulang na kulang na papel?” has now become part of the official records of the Senate.  

The copies of the Bicam Report, according to Rep. Ungab, were distributed through e-mail to congressmen and senators prior to the ratification are one and the same. He added that there are 13 pages with blank items on it.  

Thus, my Question Number Two: Who did the mekus-mekus in filling in the blanks and on whose authority? 

The integrity of the 2025 GAA, which has been referred to as the most corrupt budget in Philippine history, has been put once again in doubt. As of this writing, there is no answer, no explanation and no apology.  

The GAA is, yes, complete, but how did that happen?  How did they finalize the GAA without a complete Bicam Report? 

The blanks imply insertions – the figure of speech to describe budget manipulations.

Are these blanks left to the discretion of the Marcos Jr. administration like blank checks? 

Someone inserted amounts. That someone, we presume, is not Bicam members who already signed the report on Dec. 11.

To borrow the words of Cong. Ungab, “magicians were at play.” 

Thus, my Question # 3: Why did the members sign the Bicam Report with blank items and why did they ratify the report with blanks?

The plot thickens. So many questions, so little transparency. I find it very alarming that the magicians usurped Congress’ sole power of the purse. This brings to light the former president’s assertion that those involved in the falsification or forgery of legislative documents must be held accountable. 

I urge the ombudsman to act decisively and swiftly on the matter to restore public trust in our government. 

On the part of our lawmakers, they should have done their homework. The failure of our legislators to perform even the basics of their job, which is to ensure a complete reconciled version of the budget, in the form of Bicam Report, once and for all proves that the 19th Congress is the worst Congress in history.  

Today we undeniably have the worst President and the worst Congress. This is Bagong Pilipinas!

Lucky are we that we still have 80-year-old Rodrigo Roa Duterte with us right now slaying the behemoth called corruption who, for the nth time, demonstrated that for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. 

Daghang salamat, fPRRD.