FORMER Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary, Lawyer Wendel Avisado, called the House of Representatives (HoR) to clarify the blanks in the Bicameral Conference Committee report.
While not accusing any committee members, Avisado emphasized the need for transparency, noting that the signed report was used to finalize the enrolled bill, which was then certified as correct and signed by both the Speaker of the House and the Senate President.
“The question persists na kung ganon pala may nga blanko anong nangyari at nagkaroon ng kumpleto na enrolled bill so yung gap na yun dapat ipaliwanag sa taong bayan para maunawaan nila kung ano man ang nangyari (The question remains: if there were blanks, what happened why the enrolled bill was complete? This gap needs to be explained to the public),” Avisado said during the Basta Dabawenyo podcast on Friday, January 24, 2025.
Avisado added that members of Congress had already noticed the blank spaces in the report. He hoped they acted earlier to prevent public skepticism over the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
He said that an enrolled bill should not have missing information and called for an explanation of how these blanks ended up in the final version.
He also expressed uncertainty about who was responsible for the issue and said the government must address it, warning that failure would be their fault.
'Who filled in those blanks?'
In response to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.'s statement that there were no discrepancies in the 2025 GAA, Third District Representative Isidro C. Ungab clarified that his concerns were about the Bicameral Report, which serves as the foundation for the GAA.
Ungab questioned why the report was signed despite having 13 pages with 28 blank items, and why figures were later filled in within the GAA. He also said that the legislative process halts after the Bicameral Report’s ratification before being presented to the President.
“Yung blank items na yung magtataka ka pagdating sa GAA walang blank items wherein yun naman ang na-agree nila diba, na-agree na version so question, who filled in those blanks (The blank items are what makes you wonder because when it came to the GAA, there were no blank items, which was the version they agreed upon, right? So the question is, who filled in those blanks?" he added.
Ungab said that they would bring the issue to the Supreme Court to challenge the budget's validity and constitutionality. He said that this matter was public because it involved taxpayer money.
He urged his fellow congressmen to revisit their email from December 11, 2025, and read it carefully, as it will reveal who is telling the truth.
DBM statement
Earlier, on January 20, 2025, the DBM issued a statement addressing the allegations of blank pages and figures. The statement clarified that under the 1987 Constitution, the General Appropriations Bill — not the Bicameral Report — is submitted for the President's consideration, approval, or veto.
The department said that the bill signed by the President was a complete document, with no blank pages or missing details. They urged the public to be cautious and verify information before making accusations.
On January 18, 2025, Ungab and former President Rodrigo Duterte raised concerns about missing figures in the Bicameral Report, particularly in sections related to the Department of Agriculture (DA) and unprogrammed appropriations, which reportedly involved billions of pesos.
In response, Marcos refuted Duterte’s allegations in a January 20, 2025, statement, calling them "lies" and insisting that such discrepancies could not occur in the GAA. He pointed out that throughout Philippine history, the GAA has always detailed project expenses and funding. The president also mentioned that budget details are available on the DBM website for public review.
`Lawful, valid'
Meanwhile, Acting House appropriations panel chairperson Stella Quimbo asserted on Monday, January 27, 2025, that the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA)—which includes the proposed ₱6.325 trillion budget for the year—is "lawful, valid, and fully enforceable."
In a statement, Quimbo said that the enrolled General Appropriations Bill was complete, with no blank allocations among its 235,000+ line items. She also noted that the Bicameral Report had authorized the technical secretariats of both the Senate and House to make any necessary corrections and adjustments, but that these did not affect the integrity or legality of the budget.
“These do not affect the integrity nor the legality of the budget. When the members of the Bicameral Committee signed the report, all appropriations had already been determined and approved -- no changes were made,” Quimbo said. “The enrolled General Appropriations Bill has been made publicly available, providing the best evidence of its completeness and compliance with due process. Makikita po ng lahat ito. Walang tinatago (Everyone can see this. There is nothing hidden).”
Quimbo further stated that criticisms of the 2025 budget were politically motivated and lacked substantive merit.
“It is unfortunate that an administrative matter is being maliciously misconstrued to create controversy where there is none. This matter has been sufficiently explained, and when we face far real and urgent national challenges, it would be more productive to focus our efforts on addressing the legitimately pressing needs of our people,” Quimbo added. RGP with reports from SNS