Former president Rodrigo Duterte and Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab have raised concerns about problems with the 2025 national budget report. They found blank spaces in the budget under the Department of Agriculture and other areas. Ungab, a former chairperson of the House Appropriations Committee, said these blanks were not just simple errors, but missing billions of pesos.
Ungab explained that the blank spots were scattered throughout the report, and this raised serious concerns about why they were left empty. He pointed out that this meant the budget report was not correct, and both the House and Senate had approved it even though it was flawed.
Duterte also reacted strongly, saying that budget documents should never have empty spaces that could be filled in later. He said that when important budget numbers are missing, it could mean the whole budget is not valid. He added that if these blanks weren’t fixed, the law couldn’t be fully enforced, and it might even lead to criminal actions like falsifying government documents.
He warned those responsible for the errors or changes in the budget could face jail time for things like forgery or lying. Duterte stressed the importance of protecting the people’s money and warned those who mess with the budget might face serious consequences.
The 2025 national budget was signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on December 30, but he vetoed over 194 billion pesos worth of items that didn’t fit his administration’s priorities, including projects from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
