You’ve probably heard that line before. It’s what happens when people compare two different objects and draw conclusions from the flawed comparison.
Comparing apples with tomatoes is the strategy being applied by Malacañang to counter the expose made by former President Rodrigo Duterte. In a Saturday evening podcast, PRRD denounced the Bicameral report on the General Appropriations Bill submitted to Malacañang for PBBM’s signature.
Acting on Rep. Isidro Ungab’s public revelations that certain portions of the budget were blank or had no figures to indicate the actual amount, FPRRD emphatically declared that this legislation is not valid.
“You do not leave any item there vacant, ito pera na ito blangko to be filled up later on. That is not allowed by law,” the long-time fiscal and one-term congressman remarked.
Instead of either the House or the Senate members in the Bicam (some people spell it Bi-scam) publicly coming out to refute or deny FPRRD’s claims, Malacañang took it upon itself to issue a denial.
First, to come out was Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and finally, BBM. To put it mildly, it’s a denial that is a non-denial. Either by sheer oversight or an intentional diversion, their main argument is that there were no blanks when PBBM signed the 2025 General Appropriations Act.
Perhaps to add weight to their denial, both Bersamin and PBBM resorted to low blows. Bersamin ridiculed FPRRD for “maliciously peddling fake news,” while PBBM categorically said the former President is “lying.” As expected, mainstream media which hardly touched FPRRD’s expose, gave maximum exposure to PBBM’s insinuations. The one-sided treatment notwithstanding, it alerted citizens to turn to social media to know the real score.
Despite the low blows, the statements issued by the two men hardly changed anything. If at all, it only heightened public suspicion that there is more than meets the eye.
For one, Ungab’s revelation that the Bicam report had blanks has remained unchallenged. PBBM and Bersamin are harping, wrongly, about the GAA. The point is that not one member of the Bicam has come out into the open to dispute Ungab and FPRRD’s expose.
How could they?
In her privilege speech dated Dec. 18, 2024, Sen. Imee Marcos categorically mentioned the blank spaces being questioned by Ungab and FPRRD. Her pronouncement is now part of official records.
“Papaano naman ako pipirma sa blanko’t kulang-kulang na papel,” the Presidential sister asked. Read that a second time if you have doubts.
No wonder FPRRD got so incensed that he ordered the filing of charges against all those found in the questionable Bicam report and, because of his signature, PBBM. What aggravated the President’s involvement was the postponement of the signing of the GAA, supposedly because he had to go over it meticulously. Did he actually review it, or were they doing something else?
With the questionable blank spaces in the Bicam still unchallenged until this time, it is safe to assume that that’s the truth. This brings us to the next, most controversial part.
Between a Bicam report that left blank spaces, and the 2025 GAA which both PBBM and Bersamin swear to have no blank spaces, what happened? Who filled up the blanks? On whose authority?
This controversy will definitely preoccupy FPRRD in the coming days. You don’t call him names or insinuate wrongdoing and expect to go scot-free just like that.
The man is not onion-skinned, but now that he senses that something is very wrong with the budget, expect him to go full throttle. When it involves public funds at this critical juncture, FPRRD cannot allow PBBM to get away casually just by muddling the issue.
PBBM will have to do a lot more explaining than simply reducing the crisis to a comparison that does not exist in the first place.
