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Quimbo: Blanks in 2025 budget only for final computation
By: Gabriel Pabico Lalu - Reporter / @GabrielLaluINQ
INQUIRER.net / 04:59 PM January 27, 2025
Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo | PHOTO: Facebook page of Teacher Stella Quimbo
MANILA, Philippines — Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo has clarified that the blanks in the bicameral conference committee report on the 2025 national budget were only for the final computation of the amendments.
In an ambush interview on Monday afternoon, Quimbo reiterated that the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) was legal as the allocations on the then-proposed budget were already decided by the bicam before the House of Representatives and the Senate ratified the report.
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“Yes, so not withstanding any typographical errors or any adjustments that are needed as a result of amendments, the technical staff of both the House and Senate were authorized to make all of these necessary corrections,” Stella said in a mix of English and Filipino, when asked about the alleged blanks in the budget.
“And just to clarify or to reiterate at the point of signing by the bicam members, all the appropriations amounts have already been decided upon,” she said.
“This means all the corrections of our technical staff, these are just ministerial only. This means this is just merely calculator activity only, they no longer have discretion because all of these are decided by the bicam members at the point of signing,” she added in Filipino.
When asked if placing blanks is an existing practice, Quimbo said there are provisions that allow technical staffers to make necessary corrections to typographical errors when bills are approved.
“These omnibus provisions are always there. This allows our technical staff or they are being given the authority to make necessary corrections. It’s always there yearly,” she explained.
Earlier, Quimbo released a statement reiterating that the enrolled budget bill submitted for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s signature in December 2024 was complete, amid questions and concerns from former lawmakers about alleged blanks in the line items.
Quimbo clarified that there are two versions being discussed: the enrolled bill or the final version, and the bicameral conference committee report on the disagreeing provisions of the House of Representatives and the Senate’s version of the budget.
Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2028656/quimbo-blanks-in-2025-budget-only-for-final-computation#ixzz8ybQU9mrw
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