President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has strongly denied claims by his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, about alleged discrepancies in the 2025 national budget, calling them false and baseless.
“He’s lying,” Marcos said, emphasizing that Duterte, as a former president, should be fully aware that such irregularities are not possible.
“In the entire history of the Philippines, an item in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) which does not have any allocated project or fund is not allowed. It’s a lie,” Marcos stated.
He urged the public to verify the 2025 budget document, which is available on the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) website, to debunk the allegations.
Malacañang Denounces ‘Fake News’
Malacañang also criticized Duterte’s claims, with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin describing the allegations as “criminal” and “outrightly malicious.”
Bersamin clarified that every page of the ₱6.326-trillion national budget underwent thorough review before being signed into law.
“No page of the 2025 National Budget was left unturned before the President signed it into law,” Bersamin said, denouncing the dissemination of misinformation as divisive.
DBM Denies Claims
The DBM categorically denied the existence of any “blank items” in the budget, clarifying that the accusations stemmed from a misunderstanding of the Bicameral Conference Committee report, not the official GAA or General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
“The Bill signed by the President was a complete document, with no blank pages or missing details,” the DBM said, urging the public to verify facts before spreading allegations.
Duterte Camp Responds
Former Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo clarified that Duterte’s remarks were based on Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab’s findings. Panelo said the former president was merely expressing a legal opinion and did not claim there were blank items in the GAA itself.
“He was merely expressing a legal opinion on the assumption that what Cong. Ungab was saying is true,” Panelo said.
Background on the Controversy
Ungab and Duterte previously flagged alleged discrepancies in the bicameral conference committee report, particularly missing budget allocations for the Department of Agriculture and unprogrammed appropriations.
Ungab argued that such blanks could not be dismissed as typographical or printing errors. Duterte warned that leaving budget items empty to be filled in later could lead to criminal liability.
Despite these assertions, the DBM reiterated that the official GAB submitted to the President was complete and met constitutional requirements.
Marcos’ Assurance
Marcos assured the public that transparency remains a cornerstone of his administration’s governance.
“Check the 2025 GAA. If there’s any blank check as claimed, I guarantee you won’t find one,” he said.