Photo/PTV

MANILA, Philippines – Hitting back? 

Duterte allies led by Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez officially filed criminal and graft complaints against House Speaker Martin Romualdez and five others before the Office of the Ombudsman over the supposed P241 billion worth of “insertions” in the 2025 national budget. 

Along with Alvarez, lawyers Ferdinand Topacio and PDP-Laban senatorial candidates, lawyers Jimmy Bondoc and Raul Lambino — allies of former President Rodrigo Duterte filed 12 counts of falsification of legislative documents and graft against Romualdez, Majority Leader Manuel Dalipe, former House appropriations committee chairperson and Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Coand acting appropriations committee chair Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo. 

Last January 27, former Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez and Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab filed a petition for certiorari and prohibition asking the Supreme Court to declare the 2025 General Appropriations Act, as “unconstitutional.”

It was Duterte and Ungab who first floated concerns about supposed discrepancies in the bicameral committee report. 

Quimbo herself confirmed some blank items in the bicameral committee report but explained that funding for those items had already been identified prior to the signing of the report. 

Meanwhile, President Marcos Jr. said there were no blank items in the 2025 budget. 

The Supreme Court ordered Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, the House of Representatives and the Senate to respond to the question of constitutionality of the 2025 budget.