Hontiveros doubts blank items in national budget

Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros expressed skepticism about claims that this year's P6.326 trillion national budget contains blank items, as alleged by former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Hontiveros voted against the bicameral conference committee report on the 14th national budget due to the removal of a P74 billion subsidy for PhilHealth and reduced funding for public education but does not believe Congress would pass such a flawed budget.

During an interview, Hontiveros stated that she did not see any blank entries in the bicam report when she refused to sign it or during plenary interpellations.

Former President Duterte and Davao City 3rd District Representative Isidro Ungab flagged supposed discrepancies in the bicam report on the recently approved 2025 national budget, while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. dismissed their statements as 'lies.'

Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel showed a copy of the bicam report with parts seemingly blank or vacant and questioned who filled them after ratification.

Hontiveros insists that she did not see any blank lines in the General Appropriations Act passed by Congress, emphasizing that while the issue is serious, it needs to be clarified.