Blanks in enrolled GAB, if proven, will be constitutional issue – solon
ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro (Official facebook page of the House of Representatives of the Philippines)
MANILA, Philippines — Constitutional issues regarding the 2025 national budget would only arise if it is true that the enrolled version of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) — the final copy submitted to the President — has blanks, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro said on Thursday.
Castro, in an online interview with reporters, was asked about Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab’s vow to take the budget discussions to the Supreme Court, claiming that some line items in the final version of bicameral conference committee report on the GAB did not contain a specific appropriation.
According to Castro, while it is true that there were blanks in the GAB version that was given to them, she is not sure if that was a working draft or the final version that was submitted to Malacaãng for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s signature.
“Kung totoo o kung meron talagang blanko ‘yong enrolled bill — kasi ‘yong enrolled ito na ‘yong final na copy na nanggaling sa Kongreso na ibinigay doon sa Malacañang […] may problema talaga doon constitutionally kasi di pwedeng fill-upan ng executive kung ano man ‘yong mga blangko d’yan,” she said.
(If it is true that there are blanks in the enrolled bill — because the enrolled bill is the final copy that comes from Congress and is sent to Malacañang […] there will be constitutional problems because the executive cannot just fill-out whatever blanks are present.)
Article continues after this advertisement“Baka ang nakuhang copy ni Rep. Ungab — so hindi ko rin sure — ay ‘yong parang working copy ‘yan doon sa bicam. Pero hindi mo naman masasabi na magiging invalid ‘yong bicam copy kasi ang final n’yan ay ‘yong nandoon sa GAA (General Appropriations Act) 2025. So kung ‘yon mapapatunayan niya na merong blanko doon, magkakaroon talaga tayo ng constitutional question dyan,” she added.
Article continues after this advertisement(Maybe the copy obtained by Rep. Ungab — I’m not sure — is the working copy of the bicameral conference committee. However, you cannot say that the bicam copy is invalid because the final output is with the GAA 2025. So if he can prove that there are blanks, we will have constitutional questions there.)
Under the 1987 Constitution, the budget process starts with the House of Representatives, and after the chamber has completed its version of the budget, the GAB is forwarded to the Senate.
The Senate can then make changes to the GAB, and differences between the House and Senate versions would be ironed out in a bicameral conference committee.
The bicam then comes out with a committee report, which has to be ratified by both the House and the Senate before it is forwarded to the President for approval or veto.
Once the President approves the bicam report on the GAB, it is now labeled as GAA.
On Wednesday, Ungab told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that he would challenge the 2025 GAA before the Supreme Court as there were blanks on the bicam committee report.
Copies of the bicam report showed that the blanks mainly were with Department of Agriculture and Department of Agrarian Reform programs, like allocations for the National Irrigation Authority and the National Food Authority.
This supposedly goes against the Constitution’s provision in Article VI, Section 24, which states that all “appropriation, revenue or tariff bills, bills authorizing [an] increase of the public debt, bills of local application, and private bills shall originate exclusively in the House of Representatives.”
Ungab and his ally, former president Rodrigo Duterte, were the first to raise concerns about the GAB containing multiple blanks.
President Marcos however dismissed these allegations, saying that Duterte is lying.
Castro said that if Ungab is saying that the bicam report has blanks and not the enrolled bill, there would be no constitutional issues.
However, the Makabayan bloc members said that they still prefer that budget amendments be discussed before the bicam releases a report or before bills are approved.
