mnl168 Gatchalian, Villanueva assert: No blank items in 2025 budget

MANILA, Philippines — Two senators said on Tuesday it was not possible for certain items in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) to be left blank, as doing so would cause an imbalance in the national budget bill.

Speaking to reporters in an ambush interview, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the chairman of finance would not sign the bill if it had missing provisions.

His remarks came after he was asked to comment on former President Rodrigo Duterte’s allegation that some items in the 2025 GAA were left blank, as the amounts were supposedly meant to be filled out at the behest of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his close associates.

Article continues after this advertisement

READ: Marcos slams Duterte ‘lies’ on items in budget law

FEATURED STORIES NEWSINFO Marcos slams Duterte ‘lies’ on items in budget law NEWSINFO Mayors now know why LGUs getting lower tax share NEWSINFO Marcos vows to veto teen pregnancy prevention bill if not amended

“If it’s left blank, it won’t be balanced. The budget needs to be balanced. For example, the House amendments, the Senate amendments, and of course, the final product, the GAA, must all be balanced. What I’m thinking is, if it’s blank, it won’t be balanced; that’s number one,” said Gatchalian partly in Filipino.

He was then pressed to answer whether some items could not be left blank.

Article continues after this advertisement

“As far as I know, the chairman cannot sign a blank document. When I was chairman of another committee, whenever a committee report was submitted to me, I would read it thoroughly, even the very annexes, to make sure everything was complete. I believe that the chairman would not sign a blank document,” he explained.

Article continues after this advertisement

Gatchalian then stood his ground, stating that he and his team did not see a single blank item in the 2025 budget bill.

Article continues after this advertisement

Meanwhile, in a separate ambush interview, Sen. Joel Villanueva echoed Gatchalian’s remarks.

“I’ve never heard of any blank bicam report. I’ve never heard anything like that, and it’s kind of weird every time I hear people talking about the constitutionality of such a committee report because when you question the constitutionality of such a measure, it’s the law itself, not the report,” said Villanueva.

Article continues after this advertisement

When asked if he had seen any blank items in the 2025 budget bill, he firmly replied that he had not.

“I haven’t seen any. To my knowledge, there are none,” said Villanueva.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s blank because it wouldn’t tally, and at the same time, that law can’t be passed with blanks. That’s my perspective,” he added.

Earlier, President Marcos himself refuted the allegations made by Duterte surrounding the 2025 budget.

free slots win real money Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

SIGN ME UP

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

“He’s lying. He’s a [former] president, he knows that you cannot pass a GAA with a blank,” he told reporters after the launch of the Tesla Center Philippines.

READ NEXT Castro: Presidents can’t just alter appropriations in enacte... P500,000 bounty up for info on killers of Maguindanao Norte tr... EDITORS' PICK Marcos hails Trump inauguration, eyes collaboration Trump’s inauguration sparks mixed reactions among Fil-Ams West Philippine Sea: Navy flags espionage, says foreign power mapping PH Jeepney fare hike petition under review, says LTFRB LIVE: PVL All-Filipino Conference January 21 Darryl Yap drops new Pepsi Paloma film trailer, announces Feb. 5 premiere MOST READ Sandigan finds former Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista guilty of graft As China flaunts its military might, PH weighs all options KC Concepcion photo acquired by Getty Museum, exported to US Darryl Yap drops new Pepsi Paloma film trailer, announces Feb. 5 premiere Follow @FMangosingINQ on Twitter --> View comments

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 11: US President Joe Biden, accompanied by US Army Corps of Engineers Chief of Engineers and Commanding General William Graham, Jr. (L), Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (2nd-L), Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm (R), takes a question from a reporter after giving an update on the government’s response to Hurricanes Milton and Helene in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on October 11, 2024, in Washington, DC. Biden also touched on the the wave of online misinformation that has muddled the public’s understanding after two strong storms have impacted the southeast of the country. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/Agence France-Presse

Its subsidiary FG Cold Storage Corp. developed the refrigerated warehouse with a capacity of 7mnl168,200 pallet positions, ensuring efficient space utilization.