MANILA, Philippines – Former Department of Finance (DOF) undersecretary and economist Cielo Magno on Monday, January 20, raised concerns over the lack of transparency in the debate surrounding alleged blank items in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
In a vlog posted on social media, Magno said verifying claims made by former president Rodrigo Duterte and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin about discrepancies in the GAA is difficult due to the opaque nature of the process.
“We cannot verify who is right because the bicameral committee report is not accessible to the public. There’s no transparency, no accountability,” Magno said.
Magno observed that two versions of the 2025 GAA appear to be in circulation. One, published on the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) website, contains complete data. The other, purportedly from the bicameral committee, is incomplete but was allegedly signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The incomplete version is at the center of criticisms raised by Duterte and Davao City Representative Isidro Ungab, who claimed it contains numerous “fill-in-the-blank” items.
“If Congressman Ungab’s claim about missing data in the bicam report is true, this document cannot be enacted into law or signed by President Marcos,” Magno emphasized.