President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (SCREENGRAB FROM PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION OFFICE FACEBOOK PAGE)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stood firm that former President Rodrigo Duterte was lying on his allegations that there were discrepancies in the national budget for 2025.
In an ambush interview in Taguig City on Monday, Marcos was asked for a comment on Duterte鈥檚 allegations that some sections of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) were supposedly left blank to allow the administration to fill in amounts later, like a blank check, to facilitate theft.
鈥淗e鈥檚 lying. He鈥檚 a president. He knows that you cannot pass a GAA with a blank. He鈥檚 lying. And he鈥檚 lying because he knows perfectly well that that doesn鈥檛 ever happen,鈥� Marcos said.
鈥淪a buong鈥� sa kasaysayan ng buong Pilipinas, hindi pinapayagan na magkaroon ng item ang GAA na hindi nakalagay kung ano yung project, at saka ano yung鈥� yung gastos, ano yung pondo. So, it鈥檚 a lie,鈥� he added.
(Throughout鈥� the history of the entire Philippines, the GAA is not allowed to have an item that does not state what the project is, what it is, the cost, or what the fund is. So, it鈥檚 a lie.)
Marcos then said that the soft copy of the GAA is accessible on the Department of Budget and Management website, and the public can check it themselves.
鈥淗anapin nyo yung sinasabi nila na blank check. Tingnan nyo kung meron kahit isa鈥� para mapatunayan na tama ang sinasabi kong kasinungalingan yan. That鈥檚 my reaction,鈥� he said.
(Look for what they say is a blank check. See if there is even one instance鈥� to prove what I am saying鈥攖hat that is a lie. That鈥檚 my reaction.)
搁贰础顿:听Bersamin on 2025 budget: 鈥楾here is no program with blank appropriations鈥�
Earlier in the day, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin also issued a statement refuting the allegations.
鈥淣o page of the 2025 National Budget was left unturned before the president signed it into law,鈥� he clarified.
Bersamin further said that all 4,057 pages of the two thick volumes of the 2025 General Appropriations Act were 鈥渆xhaustively reviewed by hundreds of professional staff from Congress and the Department of Budget and Management.鈥�