SC gives Bersamin, Congress 10 days to answer budget challenge

The Supreme Court (SC) ordered Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, the Senate, and the House of Representatives to respond to a petition challenging the constitutionality of the 2025 national budget.
The petition for certiorari and prohibition, filed by former Executive Secretary and senatorial aspirant Vic Rodriguez, Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab, and others, names Bersamin, Senate President Francis Escudero, and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez as respondents.
The SC En Banc acted on the petition Tuesday, granting the respondents a non-extendible 10-day deadline to submit their comments.
The petitioners argue that Republic Act No. 12116, or the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), is unconstitutional due to alleged blank items in the bicameral report.
Additionally, they claim the budget:
- fails to allocate mandatory funding for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth),
- unlawfully increases appropriations beyond the President’s recommendations, and
- prioritizes infrastructure spending over education
Former President Rodrigo Duterte and Ungab were the first to raise concerns about the alleged discrepancies in the bicameral report.
Acting House Appropriations Committee Chairperson Stella Quimbo confirmed the existence of blank items in the P6.325 trillion national budget bicameral report.
However, she clarified that funding for these items was identified before the report’s signing.
On Monday, Quimbo assured that the final enrolled bill had no blanks and was available for public verification.
“The enrolled bill is in the Archives of the House. Sana po ay makabisita po kayo doon para kayo na po ang mag-validate na nandoon po ang enrolled bill,” Quimbo told reporters.
(The enrolled bill is in the House Archives. I encourage you to visit and validate it for yourself.)
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has also repeatedly denied that blank pages exist in the 2025 budget. — DVM, GMA Integrated News