President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. firmly stated on Thursday that the 2025 national budget does not include any blank items, amidst ongoing legal challenges against the General Appropriations Act (GAA) in the Supreme Court. Addressing attendees at the 20th National Convention of Lawyers in Cebu City, Marcos emphasized his thorough review of the extensive 4,057-page document. He recounted his detailed examination and partial veto of the budget last month, asserting his inability to find any so-called ‘blank items.’ Marcos dismissed allegations of such items as baseless and prohibited. The controversy arose following a petition by his former executive secretary, Vic Rodriguez, who is now a Senate candidate, challenging the legality of the 2025 GAA. The budget, signed into law on December 30, 2024, saw Marcos vetoing PHP194 billion in line items that did not align with his administration’s priorities. The issue resurfaced in mid-January when former president Rodrigo Duterte claimed the presence of blank line items, suggesting a scheme for future discretionary allocations. Marcos refuted these claims, accusing Duterte of spreading falsehoods.
President Marcos Jr. Insists No Blank Items in 2025 Budget Amid Legal Scrutiny
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