In a statement, House Assistant Majority Leaders Jude Acidre (Tingog Party-list) and Jil Bongalon (Ako Bicol Party-list) dismissed allegations that the budget bill contained blank items, as claimed by petitioners questioning the enactment process.
The Supreme Court has sought the documents ahead of its preliminary conference on February 28 and scheduled oral arguments on April 1 in Baguio City.
“I stand by the regularity of the 2025 GAA. It is above board,” Acidre said. “In fact, we welcome this initiative on the part of the Supreme Court to really require the copy of the enrolled bill.”
Valid once signed
He added that the court’s review would uphold the enrolled bill doctrine, which presumes the validity of a law’s passage once signed by the leaders of Congress and the President.
Bongalon reaffirmed the House’s readiness to submit the documents, insisting that no appropriations were left blank.
“Even if we send the original copies of the General Appropriations Act of 2025, we are confident that the Supreme Court will see no blank items, especially in the questioned amounts,” he said in Tagalog.
The lawmaker also recalled that members of the media had previously inspected the enrolled bill and found no blank spaces.
No blanks
“With more reason, the General Appropriations Act signed by the President contains no blanks. That is why we are confident that the 2025 budget is valid, lawful, and binding,” he said.
On whether the enrolled bill contained any signatures before submission to Malacañang, Bongalon clarified, “None. That is the final copy before we transmit it to the Office of the President for review and action.”
The petitioners challenging the budget’s validity include Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab and former Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez, allies of former President Duterte.
Acidre suggested the legal challenge was meant to divert attention from the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte. “This is an attempt to shift focus from the impeachment to this issue, which, from our perspective, is merely a distraction.”
Despite the ongoing legal dispute, the House leadership remains confident that the 2025 budget law will withstand judicial scrutiny, the lawmakers said.
— Edited by Daxim L. Lucas
