2025 Budget Declared ‘Lawful and Enforceable’ by House Committee Chair

Marikina Representative Stella Quimbo, who serves as the acting chairperson of the House Appropriations Committee, has affirmed that the 2025 General Appropriations Act is ‘lawful, valid, and fully enforceable.’ In her statement, Quimbo emphasized that the enrolled General Appropriation Bill, which includes over 235,000 line items, contains no blank allocations. She stressed the completeness of the bill, noting that the bicameral conference committee had authorized necessary corrections and adjustments by the technical secretariats of both congressional chambers. Quimbo assured that these adjustments did not compromise the budget’s integrity or legality. She further clarified that all appropriations were finalized before the bicameral committee’s report was signed, with no subsequent changes made. The enrolled bill’s public availability was cited as evidence of its compliance with due process and transparency. Quimbo dismissed allegations of irregularities as baseless and politically motivated, criticizing attempts to misrepresent routine administrative processes as controversial. She urged a focus on the nation’s pressing issues rather than on unfounded controversies. Meanwhile, Malacañang, through Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, denied any involvement in alleged ‘blank’ entries in the bicameral report, emphasizing the executive branch’s limited role in the budget process. Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman supported this stance, stating that the executive branch did not review the bicameral report. Amidst these statements, Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab plans to challenge the budget in the Supreme Court, a move that Bersamin described as speculative, awaiting a formal complaint.