Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa confirmed on Thursday that there were blank entries in the bicameral conference committee (bicam) report on the 2025 national budget, echoing similar claims made by Senator Imee Marcos.
In a GMA News report, Dela Rosa revealed that bicam conferees received a soft copy of the report on the same day it was signed, where he noticed the blank items. He cited the Department of Agriculture’s budget as an example, noting blank entries despite the agency’s total allocation being specified.
“The blanks should have been filled out somewhere along the way,” Dela Rosa remarked. Although present during the report signing, the senator refrained from affixing his signature.
Senator Marcos, who was also part of the bicam but was absent during the signing, described the report as “shocking,” pointing out the unexplained blanks in budget allocations. Former President Rodrigo Duterte and Representative Isidro Ungab also flagged these discrepancies, with Ungab asserting that the blank entries in the Department of Agriculture’s budget and unprogrammed appropriations could not be dismissed as mere errors.
Duterte warned that tampering with the budget could lead to criminal prosecution. Meanwhile, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. refuted the allegations, calling them baseless, while Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero denied the existence of blank items in the report.
Escudero firmly stated, “It is not true that Congress gave a blank check. That is a lie.” Malacañang similarly dismissed the claims, labeling them as criminal and without merit.
