MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. fired back at former President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, dismissing claims that the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) contains “blank items” and inaccuracies.
During a chance interview in Taguig City, Marcos responded firmly to Duterte’s allegations. “He’s lying. As a former president, he knows you cannot pass a GAA with blanks. He knows it doesn’t happen, so he’s lying,” Marcos said.
Duterte had previously claimed over the weekend that the 2025 national budget was invalid and inaccurate, pointing to supposed “blanks” in the document. Marcos, however, strongly refuted this, saying, “Throughout Philippine history, having blank items in the GAA has never been allowed. Every project and its cost must be included. His claim is simply not true.”
To further disprove Duterte’s allegations, Marcos pointed to the transparency of the budget process. He explained that the full 2025 national budget, spanning over 4,000 pages, is available for public access on the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) website.
“Anyone can check it themselves,” Marcos emphasized. “Look at the document and see if there is even a single blank item. That’s the proof you need to know I’m telling the truth.”
The exchange underscores a significant disagreement between the current and former presidents over the integrity of the country’s budgeting process.
