On Friday, House Assistant Majority Leaders Jude Acidre of Tingog Party-list and Jil Bongalon of Ako Bicol Party-list announced that the House of Representatives will comply with the Supreme Court’s directive to submit the original copies of the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) and the enrolled version of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA). This submission is in response to a petition challenging the constitutionality of the 2025 GAA, which alleges irregularities, including blank items in the bicameral conference committee report.
However, House Assistant Majority Leaders Jude Acidre of Tingog Party-list and Jil Bongalon of Ako Bicol Party-list expressed confidence that the high court would not find any blanks in those copies, contrary to the claim of those who questioned the budget enactment process.
The Supreme Court (SC) has made the request in preparation for a preliminary conference on the case on February 28. It set oral arguments for April 1 in Baguio City.
“I stand by the regularity of the 2025 GAA (General Appropriations Act). It is above board. In fact, we welcome this initiative on the part of the Supreme Court to really require the copy of the enrolled bill,” Acidre said.
“At least for now, we can establish the enrolled bill doctrine, which is well-respected in jurisprudence na magiging basehan talaga kung anong nakasulat sa enrolled bill, establishing the regularity of the procedure by which the law was enacted,” he said.
Bongalon said the House would comply with the SC’s request.
“But again, we are confident that even if we submit or send the original copies of the General Appropriations Act of 2025, including the encoded bill to the Supreme Court, nothing in those documents, we can see any blank items especially the amounts that are being questioned,” he said.
“Mas maganda rin ito para makita din ng justices ng Korte Suprema na sila mismo makapagsabi na wala hong blangko dyan as alleged by the petitioners in that particular case na sinasabi na parang blangkong tseke na pipilapan na lang. So nothing in those documents that there are blank items in the enrolled bill, also in the General Appropriations Act,” he said.
Bongalon recalled that in one meeting of the House committee on appropriations, of which he is a vice chairman, some media persons asked to see a copy of the enrolled bill to check if it contained blank spaces intended for appropriations.
“So pinakita namin together with the committee secretary that this is the copy of the enrolled bill. And that in the enrolled bill, wala silang nakitang blangko. With more reason, doon po sa General Appropriations Act of 2025 na pinirmahan ng ating Pangulo, wala rin po mismong blangko doon. That is why we are confident that the budget for 2025 is valid, lawful and binding,” he said.
Asked if the enrolled bill contained any signatures, Bongalon said, “Wala ho. Kasi ‘yun yung, kumbaga, final copy before we transmit it to the Office of the President for his review, for his action.”
“So wala talagang pirma po ‘yun. As far as I’m concerned, ‘yung nakita niyo doon sa Archive, wala naman talaga pirma,” he said.
Regarding the complaint of those who questioned the budget in the Supreme Court that they could not obtain a copy of the bill from the House, Bongalon said they have to formally request for it.
“It has to follow the rules. They have to make it official if someone requests for it. ‘Yung Archives naman is open to the public, so puwede siya, puwede siya ma-request,” he added.
Acidre questioned why Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez was one of the respondents in the case and claimed the complaint was really intended to divert attention away from the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.
“So makikita naman kasi natin, like for example, ginawang respondent doon…isinama ang Speaker. Hindi naman kasama ang Speaker sa bicameral committee kung ‘yun ang pagbabasehan doon sa reklamo nila. Which is for me, to be honest, nililihis lang tayo sa issue na nakatuon dapat doon sa pag-exact ng accountability sa Pangalawang Pangulo, lalong-lalo sa impeachment,” he said.
“While we welcome this, it’s good to remind the people that this is an attempt to really deflect the issue from the impeachment into all these cases which from our end is simply trying to take attention away from the impeachment process,” he said.
The petitioners in the budget “blanks” case are allies of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte led by Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, a former chairman of the House appropriations committee, and former executive secretary Vic Rodriguez.
About the Author
