House Appropriations Acting Chairperson Stella Luz Quimbo has defended the legality and transparency of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) amid allegations of blank allocations in the national budget.
In a statement, Quimbo emphasized that the GAA strictly adheres to the law and dismissed claims of missing items in the enrolled General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
According to Quimbo, all allocations in the over 235,000-line GAB are complete, with no blank provisions.
She clarified that technical secretariats of both the Senate and House of Representatives are authorized to make necessary corrections and adjustments without compromising the integrity or legality of the budget.
Quimbo added that when members of the Bicameral Committee signed the budget report, all appropriations were thoroughly reviewed and approved, and no modifications were made post-signing.
The public, she said, can freely access the enrolled GAB, which serves as proof of a transparent and due-process-compliant budget.
Despite the allegations, Quimbo firmly stated that the budget process is above board and free from any irregularities.
