THE Supreme Court (SC) has moved the preliminary conference on the petition challenging the constitutionality of Republic Act 12116, otherwise known as the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA). This was revealed by senatorial candidate lawyer Vic Rodriguez on Friday, February 28, 2025.
Rodriguez, former executive secretary of President Ferdinand Marcos who resigned after just almost three months in service, said during a press conference at the Acacia Hotel that the preliminary conference was originally scheduled for today, Feb 28. However, the Office of the Solicitor General requested more time to submit their comment.
“So it was pushed back to March 5, yung preliminary conference, and we have yet to see a copy because we filed a motion to issue a subpoena on the original copy of the enrolled bill,” he said.
He explained that the conference was delayed by five days due to the late submission of the Solicitor General's comment. Rodriguez added that they had secured some documents, had them certified, and were awaiting the preliminary conference to see what the government had submitted in comparison to their copy.
Rodriguez said the government had already submitted documents through the Office of the Solicitor General, however, they have not seen the copy.
He stressed that it is crucial to have a copy of the enrolled bill as they will need it as reference to the blanks in the Bicameral Conference Committee Report, emphasizing that it is not only impossible but also anomalous for the General Appropriations Bill to become law based on a Bicameral Report that contains blanks.
Rodriguez also confirmed that the oral argument on April 1, 2025, in Baguio is still scheduled, citing that lawyers have already filed another omnibus motion to issue a restraining order to prevent the disbursement of the remaining funds in what they are contesting as the "unconstitutional" 2025 budget.
He explained that, according to the Department of Budget and Management's (DBM) allotment report, about 65 percent of the 2025 budget has already been released to various government agencies. Of the 65 percent, 41 percent for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has already been allocated, and half a trillion pesos have been released for unprogrammed appropriations.
Rodriguez hopes that the Supreme Court will recognize the urgency of the issue so that the Philippines’ funds will not be depleted. He described the 2025 GAA as the result of a “very poisonous” legislative process, which, in his view, should be stopped.
He expressed confidence in the case they filed with the SC, citing the strong grounds they presented and the belief that the court would recognize the merit of their arguments. RGP