By el Amigo
MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte has demanded greater accountability from President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and lawmakers over the national budget after the Supreme Court declared the 2024 and 2025 appropriations unconstitutional and invalidated several provisions of the 2026 budget.
Duterte welcomed the ruling on Wednesday, describing it as an affirmation of the Constitution and the principle that government actions must remain within the bounds of the law.
“Pinagpasalamatan natin ang Korte Suprema sa pagpapatibay sa Konstitusyon at pagtitiyak na manaig ang batas,” she said in her statement.
The Vice President linked the decision to her previous objections to the work of the bicameral conference committee, alleging that the body had not adequately examined and debated the proposed spending plan before its approval.
She questioned whether the committee had fulfilled its responsibility to scrutinize budgetary measures, claiming that spending proposals were being approved without sufficient deliberation.
Duterte also took issue with Marcos’ approval of the national budget, asserting that the final spending plan substantially departed from the administration’s original National Expenditure Program.
“Ngayon, kailangang panagutan ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ang pagpasa ng isang pambansang badyet na malinaw na taliwas sa National Expenditure Program (NEP),” she said.
Duterte emphasized that taxpayers’ money must be directed toward public needs and essential services, not political maneuvering or the private interests of government officials.
“Ang pambansang badyet ay pera ng taumbayan, hindi kasangkapan sa pamumulitika at personal na interes ng mga nasa puwesto sa gobyerno,” she added.
She called on Marcos and members of Congress to publicly address the issues surrounding the budget’s formulation and approval, underscoring the need to account for how public money is allocated.
ia/xf
