Daven Tamayo

Another House member says there were ‘blank’ entries in bicam budget report

Article (news)

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/171094459994620220718-congress-teachers-protest-JC-11.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dii" alt="Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel speaks during a protest led by members of Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) outside the House of Representatives in Quezon City on July 18, 2022. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File" style="width:960px"/>Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel speaks during a protest led by members of Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) outside the House of Representatives in Quezon City on July 18, 2022. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</div>MANILA (UPDATED) — Another House lawmaker claimed on Wednesday that there were “blank” entries in the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed 2025 national budget, corroborating the claim of Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab.Kabataan Party List Rep. Raoul Manuel said he spotted a total of 12 blank entries for the amounts in nine agriculture-related programs, activities and projects, and two blanks affecting unprogrammed appropriations.The Palace has said there were no blank entries in the enrolled budget bill, the version that was sent to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.&#x27;s signature.He said there were eight blank entries in programs under the DA-Office of the Secretary: <ul><li>- Three in the Agri and Fisheries Modernization Program</li><li>- Two in National Programs of DA (fertilizer and hybrid seeds)</li><li>- One in Small-scale Irrigation Projects</li><li>- One in Agri Machineries, Equipment and Facilities </li><li>- One in Seed Buffer Stocking</li><li> </li></ul>The proposed budget for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources had blanks in the National Fisheries Program and in Post-Harvest Equipment and FacilitiesThe Philippine Coconut Authority had a blank allocation for the Coconut and Oil Palm Industry Development Program, Manuel said.The allocation for Subsidy for National and Communal Irrigation Systems under the National Irrigation Authority was also blank and there were two blank entries for Unprogrammed Appropriations, he said.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/1/19/-fake-news-palace-denies-duterte-claims-of-irregularities-in-2025-national-budget-0652">&#x27;Fake news&#x27;: Palace denies Duterte claims of irregularities in 2025 national budget</a></div><div>&#x27;PRINTED COPIES DISTRIBUTED MINUTES BEFORE VOTING&#x27;</div>Manuel said a copy of the bicam report was sent to all House members through email at 6:27 p.m. on December 11.Printed copies were distributed to those physically present in the plenary session “just several minutes” before ratification on the same day, he said.He said it was &quot;very disappointing&quot; that the House and Senate allegedly ratified incomplete bicam reports.The reports are prepared by the Bicameral Conference Committee, a panel with representatives from the House and Senate tasked with reconciling the two chambers&#x27; versions of a bill. Bicam reports are subject to the approval of the chambers.&quot;Actually, maliban pala sa maraming mga binanggit nating dahilan kung bakit tayo nag-manifest ng ating pagtutol doon sa bicam report, meron pa palang ganitong dagdag na anomalya doon sa niratify na budget,” Manuel said in a phone interview.(Actually, apart from the many reasons to manifest our opposition to the bicam report, there was this added anomaly in the budget that was ratified)He said that this raises the question of who filled in the blanks for <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2024/12/30/marcos-signs-2025-national-budget-1027">the final version that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed last December 30.</a>“Kasi tingin natin hindi dapat ganoon ‘yung mangyari. Lahat ng batas, ang fine print niyan, kahit anong period, number, letter, dapat ay na-ratify ‘yan ng House at ng Senate,” he added.(We don&#x27;t think it should have been done that way. For all proposed laws, the fine print, to the period, number and letter needs to be ratified by the House and Senate)He said the President only has the discretion to sign the budget or veto specific provisions but does not have the authority to &quot;tinker with the numbers&quot;.Ungab, an ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte, claimed last week that the bicam report had “blank items”.The Davao solon posted on his social media page alleged photos of the items left blank in the bicam report. Duterte that week claimed that the items left blank are akin to handing over a blank check.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/1/21/harapan-2025-ping-lacson-says-2025-budget-mangled-beyond-recognition-1956">Harapan 2025: Ping Lacson says 2025 budget ‘mangled beyond recognition’</a></div>Also confirming Ungab&#x27;s claim is Senator Imee Marcos, who explained that it&#x27;s the reason she did not sign the report.&quot;Natatakot ako sa mga blanko-blanko at kulang-kulang na mga datos,&quot; said Marcos, who said in a privilege speech in December that the report had no details.However she also clarified that there were no such blanks in the law that was signed into law by the president.&quot;Pero alam mo, dalawang magkaibang dokumento ang tinutukoy nila. Yung isa, yung bicam report na talagang blanko at kulang-kulang ang datos. Yung isa naman, yung GAA, na puno na ng mga numbers. Kompleto na yun. Hindi naman siya blanko-blanko, yung GAA mismo na napirmahan. Yung kagulat-gulat, eh yung bicam, kung bakit nakalusot na may mga blankong amounts,&quot; said the senator.<div>MEMBERS OF HOUSE MAJORITY BLAME POLITICS</div><div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G8pCM69Bwec?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></div>But some lawmakers from the House majority attributed the issue to politics.House Deputy Majority Leader Francisco Paolo Ortega V of La Union said the allegation that Congress handed Marcos Jr. a blank checkis unfair.“Hindi po totoo ‘yun at hindi po ganoon magtrabaho ‘yung mga kasama natin dito sa Kongreso,” he said.(That is not true, and that is not how our colleagues at the House work)Surigao Del Norte 2nd Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, lead co-chair person of the House Quad Committee, said the bicam report went through a thorough review.“In this case, maraming pumirma, maraming nakakita, maraming tumingin, eh bakit isang quarter lang ang nagsasabing blangko ito? There’s no law that has been signed by the President that has nothing in it,” he said.(In this case, many people saw it. Many people looked it over. How come the claim is coming from just one quarter?)Manuel and the rest of the Makabayan bloc are members of the House minority and have been vocal critics of the Marcos Jr. administration and of the Dutertes.Meanwhile, Senate President Francis Escudero has downplayed the misgiving raised by the report, noting that it is the signed budget law that matters. He also maintained that the signed law had no blanks.&quot;Ngayon, yung batas na General Appropriations Act na produkto ng anumang committee o conference committee report o committee report ang kinukwestiyon at kumpleto yung batas na yun, walang blanko, walang kulang, at yung amount ay nagsusuma,&quot; he stressed. -- with a report from RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

Another congressman claimed on Wednesday that there were “blank” entries in the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed 2025 national budget, corroborating the claim of Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab.

Another congressman claimed on Wednesday that there were “blank” entries in the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed 2025 national budget, corroborating the claim of Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab.