In a statement dated October 21, Duterte thanked the High Court for upholding the Constitution and ensuring that the rule of law prevails.
“We thank the Supreme Court for upholding the Constitution and ensuring that the law prevails,” Duterte said, referring to the ruling on the national budget laws.
The Vice President also reiterated her earlier warning in 2024 that the Bicameral Conference Committee (Bicam), which reconciles differing versions of the national budget approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate, was no longer performing its intended function.
Instead of scrutinizing and deliberating on budget provisions, Duterte alleged that the committee had become a “stamping pad” that simply followed Malacañang’s preferences for the national budget.
Duterte said Marcos must now explain why he signed a national budget that allegedly deviated from the administration’s own National Expenditure Program (NEP), the proposed spending plan submitted by the executive branch to Congress.
“Now, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. must be held accountable for the passage of a national budget that clearly runs counter to the National Expenditure Program (NEP),” she said.
“He must answer why he signed a budget that does not even correspond to the proposal of his own administration,” she added.
The Vice President stressed that public funds should be used to serve the Filipino people rather than advance political agendas or the personal interests of government officials.
“The national budget is the people’s money, not a tool for politicking and the personal interests of those in positions of power in government,” Duterte said.
She further called for accountability from both the President and lawmakers whom she accused of disregarding the law and misusing public funds that should have been allocated to improving Filipinos’ lives.
“The Supreme Court has defended the law. Now, it is time for President Marcos and the members of Congress who have violated and indulged themselves in the people’s money, which should have gone toward improving the lives of Filipinos, to be held accountable to the people,” she said.
