Sinabi ni Pangulong Ferdinand "Bongbong"Marcos Jr. na nagsisinungaling si dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte kaugnay sa mga alegasyon nito ng iregularidad sa pinagtibay na 2025 national budget.
''He’s lying. He’s a president, he knows that you cannot pass a GAA without any... with a blank… He’s lying,'' ayon kay Marcos.
''And he’s lying because he knows perfectly well that that doesn't ever happen. Sa buong kasaysayan ng buong Pilipinas, hindi pinapayagan na magkaroon ng item ang GAA ng hindi nakalagay kung ano ‘yung project at saka ano ‘yung gastos, ano ‘yung pondo. So, it’s a lie,'' dagdag ng pangulo.
Sinabi rin ni Marcos na maaaring makita ang 2025 budget sa website ng Department of Budget and Management.
''Hanapin ninyo ‘yung sinasabi nila na blank check. Tingnan ninyo kung mayroong kahit isa para mapatunayan na tama ang sinasabi ko kasinungalingan ‘yan. That’s my reaction,'' giit ni Marcos.
Una rito, sinabi ni Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin na nagkakalat ng maling impormasyon si Duterte tungkol sa 2025 budget.
''Some quarters, including a former president, have maliciously peddled fake news about President Marcos having signed the GAA (General Appropriations Act) of 2025 with certain parts of the enactment purposely left blank to enable the administration to simply fill in the amounts like in a blank check,'' ani Bersamin.
''The peddling of such fake news is outrightly malicious and should be condemned as criminal. No page of the 2025 National Budget was left unturned before the president signed it into law,'' patuloy ng opisyal.
Hinihintay pa ng GMA News Online ang reaksyon ng kampo ni Duterte kaugnay sa pahayag nina Marcos at Bersamin.
Bago nito, sinabi ni dating chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo, na ang mga pahayag ni Duterte ay base sa mga impormasyon mula kay Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab, na dating chairman ng appropriation committee.
“Hence, FPRRD is sayin IF as charged by Ungab, the GAA was signed with infirmities, then those responsible could go to jail,” paliwanag niya.
Ayon kay Panelo, dapat suriin ng mga mamamahayag ang GAA para malaman ang katotohanan.
Sinabi rin ni Panelo na walang partikular na tinukoy si Duterte na blangkong item o walang partikular na programang nakasaad sa GAA.
''He was merely expressing a legal opinion on the assumption that what Cong Ungab was saying is true. In the same way, that PBBM response is also misplaced being anchored on the wrong premise,'' sabi pa ni Panelo
Tinawag naman ng Department of Budget and Management na mali at walang katotohanan ang alegasyon nina Duterte at Ungab.
Ayon sa DBM, hindi ang GAA o ang nilagdaang 2025 budget ang tinutukoy nina Duterte at Ungab kung hindi ang tinalakay na Bicameral Conference committee report na hindi pa ganap na batas.
''What has been presented by certain misinformed individuals are pages from the Bicameral Conference (Bicam) Committee Report, and NOT the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) nor the GAA,'' paliwanag ng DBM.
''It is important to note that, under the 1987 Constitution, it is the Bill— the GAB, and NOT the Bicam Report, that is officially submitted for the consideration, and approval or veto of the President,'' dagdag nito.
Iginiit din ng DBM na ang panukalang batas na nilagdaan ni Marcos at ganap na naging batas ay ''complete document, with no blank pages or missing details. In no case does the Executive issue a GAA with blank pages or figures.''-- mula sa ulat ni Anna Felicia Bajo/FRJ, GMA Integrated News