Bersamin, Congress told to comment on Rodriguez’s petition vs. 2025 budget

Metro Manila, Philippines - The Supreme Court has directed the Office of the President and Congress to file their comment on the petition challenging the constitutionality of the budget law.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, on behalf of the president, and the House of Representatives and Senate should submit their comment within a non-extendible period of 10 days from receipt of notice, the court said in a statement on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

In Tuesday's session, the magistrates acted on the petition for certiorari and prohibition filed by former Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez, Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab, and others against the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

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“Petitioners argue that the GAA is unconstitutional for failing to allocate mandatory funding for PhilHealth, unlawfully increasing appropriations beyond the President’s recommendations, and allocating the highest budget to infrastructure over education,” the court said.

Central to the petition was the alleged blank items in the bicameral conference committee report.

House appropriations committee acting chairperson and Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo clarified that there were blanks in the signed bicam report, but not in the enrolled bill.

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If Rodriguez’s camp secures a temporary restraining order against this year’s spending plan, the government will supposedly operate in a reenacted budget.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the anti-budget petition was part of destabilization efforts. Rodriguez denied this in an interview on “The Newsmaker.”