Hontiveros: No ‘blanks’ in 2025 budget bill
Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — Opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros joined her colleagues in denying allegations that were blank items in the bicameral conference committee report of the 2025 national budget.
Hontiveros, who voted against the ratification of then proposed 2025 budget, said she did not see a single blank item in the report.
“Hanggang sa punto na bumaba at nagdedepensa o kahit pala sa mga plenary interpellations, marami rin akong ininterpellate nang mga budget ng ibang mga department at ahensya, hindi lang yung mga inisponsor ko na mga budget, hanggang sa huling bicam meeting na dinaluhan ko, wala akong nakita doon sa working drafts na tinatrabaho namin na blank lines,” she told reporters.
(Until the point that it was handed down to us, or we defended it, or even during plenary interpellations – I interpellated in the budgets of many agencies, not only those that I have sponsored — I did not see any blank items in the working drafts that we tackled.)
Hontiveros voted against the ratification of the budget due to several issues including the defunding of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and “non-prioritization” of the education sector, among others.
Article continues after this advertisement“Batay sa lahat ng mga personal knowledge ko dyan – hindi ko masasabing meron akong nakitang kahit isang blank line doon sa GAA na ipinasa ng Kongreso ng ating Republika,” said Hontiveros.
(Based on my personal knowledge, I cannot say that I saw even a single blank line in the General Appropriations Act that was passed by the Congress.)
While she insisted that she saw no blank lines, she still emphasized that the allegations raised by former president Rodrigo Duterte and Rep. Isidro Ungab are serious issues.
“Napakaseryoso ng ganitong issue at mga tanong na sa kabila ng mga paliwanag ay patuloy na nire-raise. So katulad ng hinihintay ko yung sinabi ng mga advocates groups at kritiko na, well, sa Korte Suprema dahil sa tingin nila may mga unconstitutional na aspeto ng GAA 2025, hinihintay ko rin na maklaro talaga itong issue, seryosong issue, concern na nire-raise na merong daw blank lines sa GAA,” said Hontiveros.
(This issue is very serious. So just as I am waiting for what the advocates groups and critics have said — because they think there are unconstitutional aspects of GAA 2025, I am also waiting for this issue to be clarified that there are blank lines in the GAA.)
