SENATE President Chiz Escudero vehemently denied allegations of inserting multi-billion peso amounts into the 2025 national budget, characterizing the reports as a politically motivated “demolition job” originating from the House of Representatives.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Escudero challenged the shifting figures cited in the accusations, noting that the initial claims ranged from P9 billion for Sorsogon to P12 billion for Bulacan, eventually escalating to P142 billion and then P150 billion.
He questioned the inconsistency and the selective focus on a smaller amount while ignoring the overall P600 billion in proposed budget amendments, which included transfers, removals, and additions.
Escudero pointed out the illogical nature of the accusations, highlighting that if the Senate truly altered P150 billion, the source and destination of the remaining P500 billion remain unexplained.
Escudero specifically denied making a P150 billion insertion into the 2025 General Appropriations Act. While acknowledging proposing budget adjustments for his home province of Sorsogon, he clarified that these were significantly less than the P9 billion alleged.
He further criticized the evolving nature of the accusations, noting that initially he was accused of acting alone, then Senator Joel Villanueva was implicated, and finally, the entire Senate was accused.
The Senator’s strong denial and his questioning of the inconsistencies in the allegations suggest a concerted effort to discredit him, and he is clearly challenging those making the accusations to provide concrete evidence to support their claims.
