Former President Rodrigo Duterte and Davao City Third District Representative Isidro Ungab have raised concerns over alleged discrepancies in the Bicameral Conference Committee (Bicam) report, particularly its missing allocations for critical agricultural agencies.
Speaking on Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte’s YouTube show Basta Dabawenyo, Ungab presented documents highlighting what he claimed were “blanks” in the budget, including billions unaccounted for in allocations for the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
“I noticed that there were many blanks, and these amounts reach billions of pesos,” said Ungab. “In the Bicam report, the budget for the agricultural and fisheries modernization program was listed at P146,335,937,000. However, in the General Appropriations Act (GAA), it was reduced to P126,798,221,000. This discrepancy is alarming.”
Duterte echoed Ungab’s concerns, calling the budget “invalid” due to its incomplete details. “If it is fragmented or incomplete, that is not a valid budget for implementation as law. Congress should correct this, withdraw the budget, and demand an explanation for the blanks,” Duterte said.
He further likened the situation to receiving a blank check, warning that such practices could lead to abuse of public funds. “This should not happen, especially when it involves people’s money,” he added.
Both leaders urged Congress to act promptly, citing the potential risk of mismanagement and lack of transparency.
