Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero has strongly denied allegations of corruption tied to supposed anomalous budget insertions in the proposed 2025 national budget, calling the reports “unfair” and part of a political demolition job.
Escudero addressed the issue during a press briefing on Tuesday, June 29, following reports from VERA Files and Politiko that accused several senators of facilitating questionable insertions totaling more than ₱142 billion. The reports also hinted that Escudero’s allies, including Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, stood to benefit from these allocations.
“These are baseless accusations from anonymous sources,” Escudero said in Filipino. “Who am I supposed to respond to if no one is named?” He also dismissed suggestions that he inserted ₱9 billion in the budget for Sorsogon, his home province, responding with an immediate “no” before the reporter could finish the question.
Escudero argued that making amendments to the budget during deliberations is a standard part of the legislative process and is different from what is being maliciously described as “insertions.”
He defended Villanueva, saying the senator was being unfairly targeted due to his alignment with Escudero’s leadership in the Senate. “That’s an unfair accusation and an unfair insinuation,” he stressed.
Escudero noted that budget amendments this year amount to nearly ₱600 billion, questioning why the focus is solely on his alleged involvement in a smaller portion. “Why isn’t anyone investigating the bigger portion?” he asked.
According to Escudero, these claims are politically motivated and are aimed at undermining his leadership as Senate President. He revealed that his office is investigating the origin of the allegations, which he suspects may have come from members of the House of Representatives.
However, criticism has not been limited to the House. Senator Imee Marcos, part of the Duterte bloc in the Senate, claimed the budget insertions were not rumors and insisted that they occurred.
A separate Politiko report also surfaced, showing CCTV footage of Escudero visiting the office of House Speaker Martin Romualdez on November 30, 2024—a holiday—during the height of budget deliberations. Escudero dismissed the footage as politically charged. “What exactly is being insinuated here?” he asked.
“These are insinuations being pushed by those who seek to politicize and damage reputations,” he concluded.