- Duterte slams 2025 budget as unconstitutional
FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte did not hold back when he compared the 2025 General Appropriations Act signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. before the New Year to a blank check that politicians can exploit for their selfish needs.
In a recent appearance on Mayor Baste Duterte’s YouTube show, the former president highlighted alleged discrepancies in the budget, particularly in allocations for the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
Duterte warned that such blank items could be exploited for corruption and urged the current administration to correct the issue.
“Nakikiusap ako sa mga ulol nato Kung sino man gumagawa ng ganun pwede bang sabihin ko sa inyo na do not f*** the people of the Philippines. Makagulo tayo.Huwag nyo kami isahin, buhay pa ako. Tsaka anjan yung military and police, hindi papayag yan. I know them (I’m appealing to those who are doing this, please don’t mess with the Filipino people. This could lead to trouble. Don’t deceive us. I’m still alive. And the military and police won’t allow this.)
Duterte expressed concern that leaving budget items blank amounts to giving “blank checks” to government officials, which he believes is illegal and could lead to corruption.
“Kayong nasa bureaucracy whether stand up straight and be counted as a true Filipino otherwise you are asking for your early demise,” he said.
Duterte added that the soldiers might get fed up with the unchecked corruption and launch a takeover. He said being a former president, he has an insight into how the military thinks. Right now, the soldiers are only putting up with the current situation, but things could change in a flash.
“Basta ako nagbigay ng warning sa inyo (As for me, I’m just giving you a warning),” he said, also adding that the senators and House representatives who signed the bicameral report would go to jail for the illegal budget.
He called for the budget to be recalled and corrected immediately.
The former president’s criticisms were echoed by Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab, who first raised concerns about the “blank” entries in the bicameral conference committee report.
Ungab, a former chairman of the powerful House appropriations committee, argued that the 2025 budget’s validity is compromised by these discrepancies.
Screenshot photo of Rhoda Grace B. Saron
