Malacañang on Thursday challenged Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong to present evidence supporting his claim that the 2025 national budget is being used as an “election fund.”
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro asked if Magalong would be willing to testify for the petition filed before the Supreme Court (SC), which questions the constitutionality of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
“We respect Mayor Magalong’s opinion, but it would be better if he speaks with evidence that the budget was indeed used as an election fund,” Castro said during a media briefing.
Magalong, who is seeking reelection in the 2025 midterm elections, alleged that lawmakers in the House of Representatives received social amelioration funds when they joined House Speaker Martin Romualdez in out-of-town activities. Romualdez is the cousin of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
“If he [Magalong] can provide the evidence, whether to the PCO or directly to me, it would be better so that we can have it investigated,” Castro added.
SC Petition on 2025 Budget
In January, six petitioners, including Davao Representative Isidro Ungab and Marcos’ former executive secretary Vic Rodriguez, asked the Supreme Court to declare the 2025 GAA unconstitutional. They cited alleged blank items in the bicameral committee report. The SC has scheduled oral arguments on the case for April 1.
President Marcos, however, dismissed the case as a “destabilization” attempt against his administration. He claimed that he reviewed the over 4,000-page expenditure plan and found no blank items.
Concerns About AKAP Funds
On December 30, Marcos signed the P6.326 trillion national budget into law, which was slightly reduced from the proposed P6.352 trillion after he vetoed line items worth P194 billion. However, he later admitted that the approved amount was “suboptimal.”
Critics, including minority lawmakers and progressive groups, condemned Marcos for approving the national budget despite allegations of anomalies and misallocations. They specifically pointed to the restoration of P26 billion for the Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), a project spearheaded by Romualdez.
Opponents argued that AKAP funds could potentially be used to finance the campaigns of candidates allied with Romualdez and Marcos, raising concerns about the misuse of public funds in the 2025 elections.