Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Friday firmly rejected allegations made by former Ako Bicol Party-list representative Zaldy Co, who claimed she had directed him to insert at least ₱100 billion worth of projects at the start of bicameral conference committee discussions.
Co, in a circulating video, accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of instructing Pangandaman and House Speaker Martin Romualdez to push for the alleged insertions.
Pangandaman dismissed the accusations as false, stressing that decisions made during the bicam are entirely within the jurisdiction of lawmakers. “We reject any insinuations about it. The BICAM is purely under the power of the legislature. We respect and strictly follow the budget process and all our actions are above board,” she said during a press briefing.
She clarified that all spending items endorsed by President Marcos were already included in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) before the proposal was transmitted to Congress. She emphasized that once the President’s Budget is submitted, the Executive branch no longer participates in bicameral negotiations.
“According to the Constitution, after we submit the budget to Congress, we will have briefings. Isn’t that right? So it was also conducted by an executive to explain the contents of the President’s Budget and the NEP. After that, they (bicam) will deliberate,” Pangandaman explained.
