OSG asks SC to dismiss budget constitutionality petition

The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss a petition challenging the constitutionality of the P6.325-trillion 2025 national budget.

The OSG argued that the petition lacks an "actual case or controversy" and other procedural deficiencies, stating it appears to be an attempt to impede the implementation of a vital law.

Petitioners, including Rep. Isidro Ungab and former executive secretary Vic Rodriguez, filed the petition on January 27, calling the General Appropriations Act (GAA) "illegal and criminal."

The petition challenges the budget over alleged "blank line items," violations of the Universal Health Care Act (UHCA), insufficient education funding, and the removal of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation's (PhilHealth) allocation.

In its comment dated February 27, the OSG asserted that the GAA for 2025 does not violate the Constitution or the UHCA.

The OSG refuted claims that excluding PhilHealth's budget allocation hinders the UHCA's implementation, stating it does not signify the State's abandonment of public health commitments.

The OSG clarified that the enrolled bill, not the Bicameral Conference Committee (BCC) Report, is the definitive version of the law, and any alleged "blanks" in the BCC Report were part of internal computations.