The allegations surrounding the supposed blank items in the bicameral conference committee report on the 2025 budget are “malicious” and “politically motivated” aimed at sowing discord, Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo said Monday.

The economist-lawmaker insisted that the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) is “lawful, valid, and fully enforceable” despite accusations from critics who threatened to legally challenge the budget before the Supreme Court for “unconstitutionality.”

“Any suggestion of impropriety is unfounded and appears to be politically motivated rather than prompted by genuinely substantive concerns. It is unfortunate that an administrative matter is being maliciously misconstrued to create controversy where there is none,” Quimbo argued.

She contended that the enrolled General Appropriations Bill is “complete, with no blank allocations among its more than 235,000 line items.”