Malacañang is confident that the Supreme Court (SC) would not nullify the P6.235-trillion 2025 national budget, citing the need for the government to function.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said this amid looming constitutional challenges to the 2025 national budget following allegations of blank provisions in the 2025 General Appropriations Act.

In a press conference in Pasay City on Friday, Jan. 24, the former Supreme Court Chief Justice said the SC will not halt the 2025 budget.

“The Supreme Court will never stop the budget from being implemented, all right? I cannot understand if the Supreme Court will have that tendency to put a stop to it even if any of those challengers will ask for a TRO (temporary restraining order) because the government function must be run,” he said.

“The government must continue to function. There is a dully approved budget subject to all those that were vetoed, the items,” he added.

Bersamin likewise said that reverting to a reenacted budget would be impossible.

“The reenacted budget can come only when there is a finding that it has been vetoed or the Supreme Court has nullified the present budget. But that is yet to be at the end of the year or maybe when this resolution of these challenges will have been delivered,” he said.

“As we have been clearly telling, the effect of the veto is only to reduce the deficit because that is all that the veto has as a consequence. The realignments will happen only later on in the spending process,” he added.

According to Bersamin, Malacañang could not stop those who want to challenge the constitutionality of the national budget. He added that the Executive could not be held responsible for it.

“Hindi kami ang mananagot diyan kung mayroon mang pagkukulang sa bagay na iyan dahil bicam report iyan, eh (We cannot be held liable if there are deficiencies because it is a bicameral report),” he explained.

“Wala kaming kinalaman sa bicam report. May kinalaman lang kami iyong finished product na pinapirmahan sa Presidente, hindi iyong blank check (We have nothing to do with the bicameral report. We’re only involved in the finished product signed by the President, not the blank check),” he added.

Bersamin reiterated that the Palace had nothing to do with the supposed “blank check” spreading on social media.

“We resented so much, [the] impression that the President was given a blank check. Wala kaming kinalaman, internal sa Congress iyon (We have nothing to do with it, that’s internal with Congress),” he said.

“We will so respect the boundaries by not commenting [who is] to be blamed for now. But, I’m sure that we did not benefit at all from the blank spaces that are being peddled around,” he added.

Despite the noise surrounding the 2025 national budget, Bersamin said President Marcos is keen on implementing the 2025 GAA properly.

“The President is really in earnest in seeing to the proper implementation of the budget, the surviving parts of the budget because as you know, there were several items that were subjected to veto or to conditional implementation,” he said.

Marcos signed the 2025 budget amounting to P6.235 trillion on Dec. 30. He, however, vetoed P194 billion in line items, citing the need to align it with the government's priorities that directly address the people's needs.