Nelson Morales

Manuel disputes Escudero’s defense on 2025 budget row

Article (news)

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17377078867022025 budget row 01242025.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div>Kabataan Party List Representative Raoul Manuel disputes Senate President Francis Escudero’s defense on the alleged irregularities in the proposed 2025 budget, stressing that there should have been no blanks in the ratified bicameral conference committee report. While Escudero denied that the bicam report had blank items, he said the document contained a provision giving authority to the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance to effect certain corrections. The Senate President further said that if there are conflicts, the enrolled bill prevails over the Bicam report.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/1/21/nia-administrator-denies-blank-items-in-the-agency-budget-for-2025-1834">NIA administrator denies blank items in the agency budget for 2025</a></div> The Omnibus motion states, “(1) The Technical Staff of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance are authorized to effect corrections of typographical, grammatical and printing errors, as well as necessary adjustments such as performance indicators and section number of general and special provisions as a consequence of the amendments. (2) In case of conflict between the Conference Committee Report and the printed copy of the bill, the latter shall prevail.” Escudero noted that the signed Budget Law, not the report, matters. But for Manuel, it is essential to ensure that there are no irregularities in the bicam report, which is the basis for the enrolled bill and the Budget Law. “Napapakamot tayo ng ulo sa ganoong reasoning ng mga dumedepensa doon sa national budget. Dahil ang basis din naman ng pinipirmahan ng Pangulo, which is the enrolled bill, ay dapat nakabatay yan sa bicam report. So, kung problematic yung bicam report, eh di ang epekto noon ay hanggang doon sa ano ‘yung final product which is the 2025 National Budget through the General Appropriations Act,” he explained. “Kaya yung process niya mula sa bicam, binabalik sa House at sa Senate for ratification. Ang purpose noon, para kung ano man yung ginawa ng ilang senador at ilang mga mambabatas on behalf of 300 plus members of the House, whatever ‘yung nasa bicam report, mayroon pa kaming avenue para at least magsalita, maghabol. Kung hindi man kami makapag-amend, ay makapagsabi man lang na ito, mali ito para alam ng mga constituents natin, alam ng taong bayan, bago makarating sa Pangulo ang bill na kanyang pipirmahan. Kaya hindi dapat dini-diminish ang value ng isang Bicam report,” Manuel added. He said allocation of budget to some items, cannot be delegated to technical staff after the bicam report is ratified. <div><a 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>“With all due respect kay Senate President, ang nakalagay sa Omnibus motion sa Bicameral conference committee report na kanilang pinirmahan ay ang pwedeng gawin lang ng technical staff ay ayusin ang mga technical errors or grammatical errors at ‘yung mga numbering na kinakailangang i-adjust. Wala sa kapangyarihan ng technical staff na sila ‘yung mag-allocate ng budget. Kasi kung ganoon lang din pala, para saan pa ang mga session ng mga kongresista at mga senador para busiin ang proposed national budget?” Manuel explained. “It is a wrong interpretation kung ganoon ang ginagamit na dahilan para sabihin na walang naging problema dun sa bicameral conference committee report. Bahagi ng proseso talaga, bawat budgetary allocation ay dapat nakikita ‘yan at nabubusisi ng mga mambabatas, at hindi ‘yan dine-delegate sa mga technical staff,” he added. For Manuel, the provision stating that the enrolled bill prevails if it has conflict with bicam report, does not cover “substantial” conflicts. “Ang tinutukoy na conflict ay sa mga panahon na halimbawa mayroong hindi naman significant na discrepancy sa kung anuman ‘yung nilalaman ng bicam report, at saka ng enrolled bill na sina-submit sa Pangulo for signature. Kaso this time, ang mayroon tayo ay actually hindi siya conflict, pero mayroon talagang substantial… doon sa Bicam report...  So blangko, pero noong nakarating na sa Pangulo, ang sinasabi ay mayroon na raw amount. So pag ganun ba, technical staff ang naglagay ng amount? Binibigyan na ba natin ng kapangyarihan ang mga labas sa Kongreso para sila ‘yung mag-allocate ng budget? Kasi kung ganun, hindi na transparent ‘yung proseso, kung pwede pala na labas sa mga official na mga proceedings, doon ginagawa ang pag-allocate ng budget,” he said.<div> <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/1/23/quimbo-mum-on-supposed-blanks-in-2025-national-budget-0132">Quimbo mum on supposed blanks in 2025 national budget</a></div>Manuel said he will support efforts to question the budget before the Supreme Court. “Kung mayroong magkukwestyon ng constitutionality, ay susuportahan natin…hindi din tayo pabor sa reenacted budget, pero kung mayroon mga supplemental na legislation na maaaring gawin para mag-entertain ng mga pro-people ng mga amendments, ay bukas din tayo na mag-propose ng mga amendments,” the lawmaker said. “Pwede pa rin silipin ang kung ano man ang nagiging mga palya doon kasi hindi din absolute yung freedom ng legislature para lang mag-decide sa ganong mga ano ‘yung kanya magiging sariling mga rules, kasi at any moment na mayroon na siyang ipinapakita na hindi pag-ensure ng transparency and accountability ay pwedeng pwede pa rin talaga siyang kwestyunin,” Manuel added.

Kabataan Party List Representative Raoul Manuel is disputing Senate President Francis Escudero’s defense on the alleged irregularities in the proposed 2025 budget, saying that there should have been no blanks in the ratified bicameral conference committee report.

Kabataan Party List Representative Raoul Manuel is disputing Senate President Francis Escudero’s defense on the alleged irregularities in the proposed 2025 budget, saying that there should have been no blanks in the ratified bicameral conference committee report.