The Supreme Court (SC) has required the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Office of the Executive Secretary to submit not later than noon on Monday, Feb. 24, original copies of the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) and the 2025 General Appropriations Enrolled Bill (GAEB).
The directive was issued last Feb. 18 during the SC’s full court session where the High Court ordered the three respondents to comment in 10 days on the petition that challenged the constitutionality of Republic Act No. 12116, the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
The SC had also decided to conduct oral arguments on the petition on April 1 in Baguio City where the High Court will hold its traditional summer sessions.
In requiring comment, submission of the documents, and setting oral arguments, the SC acted on the taxpayers’ petition filed by former executive secretary Victor D. Rodriguez, Rep. Isidro T. Ungab, Rogelio A. Mendoza, Benito O. Ching Jr., Redemberto R. Villanueva, Roseller S. Dela Pena, Santos V. Catubay and Dominic C. M. Solis.
The petitioners told the SC that RA 12116 violated the constitutional provisions under Article II, Section 15; Article VI, Section 25(1); and Article XIV, Section 5(5).
They said that RA 12116 is unconstitutional for violating Article II, Section 15 of the Constitution in relation to Sections 10, 11, and 37 of the Universal Health Care Act (UHCA) under RA 11223.
They also said that the 2025 GAA violated Article VI, Section 25(1) of the Constitution when the respondents aligned the proposed appropriations under the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP), which resulted in an increase on the proposed budget appropriations for Congress and other line agencies.
At the same time, they said the GAA violated Article XIV, Section 5 (5) of the Constitution as the budget appropriations to the education sector were merely bloated to give the impression of a “superficial adherence to the constitutional mandate” to assign the highest budgetary priority to education.
They also pointed out that the GAA violated Article VI, Section 27 of the Constitution when the Bicameral Conference Committee submitted a report with blank items on the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
“The Bicameral Conference Committee committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess jurisdiction when it signed the committee report on 2025 National Budget filled with blanks,” they added.
In an advisory, the SC said the preliminary conference in preparation for the oral arguments will be held on Feb. 28 at the SC’s session hall in Manila.
During the conference only two lawyers each for the petitioners and each of the respondents will be allowed to discuss preliminary issues like legal standing of petitioners to file the case, whether issues raised in the petition involve actual and justiciable controversy, and whether the petitioners’ direct resort to the SC is proper.
The SC said that if the lawyers intend to present audiovisual materials, they must submit manifestations and furnish the court with digital and physical copies of audiovisual materials not later than noon on Feb. 24.
It also said that other manifestations, additional comments, or motions may be filed before personally or via electronic mail at efile_jro.sc@judiciary.gov.ph on or before noon of Feb. 24.
“The Court reserves the right to require the parties to submit other documents after the conduct of the preliminary conference,” it added.
Also in the advisory, the SC said the substantive issues to be tackled during the oral arguments are:
- Whether RA 12116 or the 2025 General Appropriations Act violates Section 15, Article 11 of the Constitution in relation to Sections 10 to 11 and 37of RA 11223, the Universal Health Care Act.
- Whether the 2025 GAA, which increased the budget of the Senate and the House of Representatives, violates Section 25(1), Article VI of the Constitution which provides the increase of appropriations recommended by the President through the National Expenditure Program.
- Whether the 2025 GAA violates Section 5(5), Article XIV of the Constitution which mandates the highest budgetary priority to be given to education.
- Whether the 2025 GAA violates Section Section 27, Article VI of the Constitution when the members of the Bicameral Conference Committee – formed to reconcile the conflicting provisions between the House and the Senate versions of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) – submitted a Report on the GAB with blank items.