No ‘blanks’ in budget law, only in signed bicam report - Quimbo

Metro Manila, Philippines - There are no blank allocations in the budget, House appropriations committee acting chairperson and Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo said on Monday, Jan. 27.

Quimbo made the remark after former President Rodrigo Duterte and his allies called out supposed blank items in the General Appropriations Act.

In a chance interview, Quimbo explained that there were blanks in the signed bicameral conference committee report, but not in the enrolled bill.

“Notwithstanding any typographical errors or any adjustments that are needed as a result of amendments, ay authorized naman po ang (the) technical staff ng (of) both House and Senate (are authorized) to make all these necessary corrections,” she said.

“First, the enrolled General Appropriations Bill is complete, with no blank allocations among its more than 235,000 line items,” Quimbo said in a statement. “When the members of the Bicameral Committee signed the report, all appropriations had already been determined and approved - no changes were made.”

Quimbo said claims of irregularities were “politically motivated.”

“It is unfortunate that an administrative matter is being maliciously misconstrued to create controversy where there is none,” the lawmaker said.

Quimbo echoed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s statement, saying a copy of the General Appropriations Bill is publicly available for scrutiny.

She said the budget is “lawful, valid, and fully enforceable.”

In a media briefing last week, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the blank budget claim is an issue for Congress to respond as the president signed a complete appropriations bill into law.