SEN. Imee Marcos yesterday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should have vetoed, instead of withholding, appropriations for government programs in the 2025 national budget that did not align with his administration’s priorities.
Senator Marcos made the statement as she reminded Malacañang that the non-funding or withholding of funds intended for government programs and activities, as approved by Congress, is a violation of the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
She said appropriations are only withheld or not released when government funds are scarce, which should have been declared by the Development Budget Coordinating Committee during the budget briefings in the Senate and House of Representatives.
“The implementation of laws, including the General Appropriations Act, is not optional or based on the executive’s mood,” she said.
Finance Secretary Ralph Recto on Monday, during the DBCC briefing at the House, said the President withheld the release of P60 to P80 billion worth of funds under the 2025 budget because they were not aligned with the administration’s priorities.
The senator said: “If those (P60 to P80 billion worth of funds in the GAA) projects are not in the administration’s priorities, then the Executive should have exercised its veto power from the start.”
She said the administration should be transparent and tell lawmakers if there no available funds for those projects.
“I am asking the Executive now: Is there a budget deficit? If none, they should implement the law,” she added.
Recto has told House lawmakers that the President is not bound to release appropriations for double entries in a particular project because he can, at any given time during the execution of the budget, withhold releases “if it is not consistent with the priorities of his administration.”
“And as of today, based on my understanding, roughly P60 to P80 billion has still been withheld (by the President),” he also said.
