黑料社

MANILA, Philippines 鈥� A Palace official challenged Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong to present evidence on his claim that the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) was used as election funds.

At a briefing on Thursday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said she respects Magalong鈥檚 point of view but emphasized that he should refrain from making such claims until supporting evidence is presented.

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鈥淚bigay po ang mga ebidensiya; bigyan niya rin po kami dito sa PCO [Presidential Communications Office] para malaman natin kung may katotohanan ba ang bintang na ito,鈥� she said.

(Please provide the evidence and also give us a copy here at the PCO [Presidential Communications Office] so we can determine whether this accusation is true.)

Castro also warned that such accusations could harm the integrity of the government and politicians as well.

鈥淜ung maibibigay niya po sa amin, sa PCO, kahit po sa akin, mas maganda po kung mababasa ko lahat ng mga ebidensiya niya at ito po ay ating paiimbestigahan,鈥� she said.

(If he can provide it to us, the PCO, or even me personally, it would be better if I could review all the evidence, and we will have this investigated.)

Magalong, a former officer of the Philippine National Police (PNP), was also advised by Castro to use his investigative expertise to track down the source of his alleged death threats.

鈥淜ung mayroon pong death threats sa kaniya, hindi po natin alam kung saan ito galing. Kung mapapatunayan din po niya na ito ay galing sa kaniyang diumanong pag-i-expose dito sa election fund patungkol sa GAA, mas maganda po dati naman din po siya na naging parte ng PNP, magaling naman po siyang mag-imbestiga; ibigay lamang po niya ang lahat ng ebidensiya at tayo ay tutulong kung totoong may death threats,鈥� she said.

(If he is receiving death threats, we do not know where they are coming from. If he can prove that these threats are related to his supposed expos茅 on the election fund concerning the GAA, it would be better since he was once part of the PNP, and he is skilled at investigating. He should just provide all the evidence, and we will help if the death threats are indeed real.)

Magalong made the allegations about the GAA in a media interview with Regional 黑料社 Group 鈥� Luzon on Wednesday.

He asked, 鈥淪aan ka nakakita ng ganun na kakaunting tao lang, mga lawmaker lang, sila sila lang [ang] nag-usap para binago 鈥榶ung buong bicameral, 鈥榶ung NEP [National Expenditure Program]? At kita mo 鈥榶ung mga nilagay na mga pondo doon, obviously, election funds ang ginawa sa GAA 2025.鈥�

(Where have you seen something like that, where only a few people鈥攋ust the lawmakers among themselves鈥攄iscussed and changed the entire bicameral, the NEP? And you can see the funds they allocated there鈥攊t鈥檚 obvious that they turned the 2025 GAA into election funds.)

鈥淧ero hindi kami hihinto. Lalaban kami rito. And you know galing naman ako sa giyera. Kaya ko naman eh. I鈥檓 willing to fight for this country. Lalaban kami rito. Hindi kami hihinto rito,鈥� he also said.

(But we will not stop. We will fight this. And you know, I鈥檝e experienced conflicts鈥擨 can handle this. I鈥檓 willing to fight for this country. We will fight this. We will not stop here.)

The 2025 national budget was a center of scrutiny early this year, after allegations that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed it despite incomplete allocations.

This has further fueled public confusion, especially as copies of the allegedly incomplete signed budget circulate online.

READ: DBM clears up budget confusion, confirms signed GAA is complete

However, the Department of Budget and Management already clarified that the circulating document was not part of the GAA but rather from the bicameral conference committee (Bicam) report.

A Bicam report is the reconciled version of the House of Representatives and Senate鈥檚 respective General Appropriations Bill (GAB). This bill then becomes the GAA, or the actual national budget, once signed by Marcos.