PBBM maintains blank items don’t exist in 2025 budget

By Darryl John Esguerra, Philippine News Agency

“Just last month, I had to read 4,057 pages of the General Appropriations Act for 2025 because I reviewed it, analyzed it, and yes, in parts, vetoed it,” Marcos shared. (File Photo: Bongbong Marcos/Facebook)

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday maintained that the 2025 national budget does not contain any blank items as the General Appropriations Act (GAA) faces a legal challenge before the Supreme Court.

Speaking at the 20th National Convention of Lawyers in Cebu City, Marcos said that as President, he has scrutinized the 2025 GAA, reviewing over 4,000 pages of it.

“Just last month, I had to read 4,057 pages of the General Appropriations Act for 2025 because I reviewed it, analyzed it, and yes, in parts, vetoed it,” Marcos shared.

“I still can’t find those ‘damned blank items.’ We’ll keep looking, but I’m convinced they simply do not exist. It’s not allowed,” he added.

This statement comes after his former executive secretary Vic Rodriguez, who is running for the Senate, filed a petition before the Supreme Court, claiming that the 2025 GAA is “illegal” and “criminal.”

The budget was signed into law on Dec. 30, 2024, but Marcos vetoed PHP194 billion worth of line items he deemed inconsistent with his administration’s priorities.

The budget came under scrutiny again in mid-January when former president Rodrigo Duterte suggested it contained blank line items, implying a “blank check” scheme for future allocations.

Marcos has rejected this claim, accusing Duterte of spreading lies.