Lucas Bersamin 鈥擣ile photo from the House of Representatives
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Friday maintained that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not sign the 2025 national budget despite blank spaces, saying they strongly resented such allegations.
In a press conference, Bersamin was asked whether Marcos had anything to do with the 鈥渂lank checks.鈥�
READ: Marcos denies 鈥榖lank鈥� GAA items, says Duterte 鈥榣ying鈥�
鈥淲e resented so much 鈥榶ung impression that the President was given a blank check. We had nothing to do with that; it鈥檚 an internal matter within Congress. That鈥檚 why we respect the boundaries by not commenting on who should be blamed or not,鈥� Bersamin responded.
鈥淏ut I鈥檓 sure that we did not benefit at all from the blank spaces that are being peddled around. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e saying it鈥檚 fake news because they鈥檙e accusing the President of filling them in. Even if that is not what they said, that is the impression they want to give to the public, which is very wrong, very malicious,鈥� he added.
鈥淏lank items鈥� from the bicameral conference committee (Bicam) report, not the General Appropriations Act (GAA)
Meanwhile, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman also reiterated in the briefing that the Bicam report had the purported blank items.
A Bicam report is the reconciled version of the House of Representatives and Senate鈥檚 respective General Appropriations Bill.
This bill then becomes the GAA, or the actual national budget, once signed by Marcos.
READ: Escudero: 鈥楴o blank items on 2025 national budget I signed鈥�
However, in a press conference on Wednesday, Senate President Francis Escudero also maintained that the bicam report on the national budget for 2025 that he signed had no blank items.
He likewise noted that he does not know about the circulating copy of a bicam report for the 2025 national funding supposedly showing blank items.