During a press briefing held on Friday, January 24, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin stated that they had no relation to the proposed empty pages in the General budget. "We are particularly incensed by the fact that the president is presented as having received a free mandate - this is an internal affair of Congress," he noted.
He also criticized Duterter and his supporters for spreading false information. "I want the people to know that we are actually not related to this. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. denies participation in proposed 'empty points' in the national budget, while representative Malakani called these statements 'fake' and 'malicious'. "Let's get rid of the notion that we are somehow connected to these empty pages, about which you speak. And all we can say at this moment," he concluded.
