‘Critics Twisting Law to Smear Marcos’ — Gotia

Civic leader Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia hit back at fresh criticisms against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., denouncing allegations that the Chief Executive is solely to blame for the budget scandal as a “distortion of both the law and the truth.”

Goitia was responding to international human rights lawyer Atty. Arnedo Valera, who accused Marcos of betraying his promise of an independent foreign policy, curtailing freedom of expression, and being involved in illegal drugs—charges that prompted Valera to withdraw his support for the President.

But Goitia, chairman emeritus of several civic groups including Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD) and Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI), said Valera’s claim ignores the Constitution.

“Article VI, Section 24 is clear: all appropriation bills originate from the House of Representatives. Congress crafts, debates, and finalizes the budget. To say the President alone is guilty of the budget mess is not just misleading but a constitutional falsehood,” he stressed.

He added that the President’s veto power is “a shield, not a sword” meant to defend against unconstitutional provisions, not to rewrite the budget wholesale. “Prudence, not recklessness, defines responsible leadership,” he pointed out.

On calls for impeachment, Goitia said signing into law a budget duly passed by Congress does not amount to “grave abuse of power” or “betrayal of public trust” under the Constitution. “If their logic was applied, nearly every President since 1987 should have been impeached. That is not law—that is partisan fantasy,” he said.

Goitia also dismissed demands for Marcos to resign, stressing that “resignation is not a constitutional remedy but a personal choice.”

He likewise defended Malacañang’s creation of the Independent Commission on Infrastructure, saying the President has authority under the Administrative Code to form fact-finding bodies. “To call this ‘investigating himself’ is a shallow soundbite. Transparency requires evidence, process, and structure—not political sloganeering,” he argued.

In conclusion, Goitia underscored that accountability in the budget process belongs to all three branches of government, not just the President.

“The budget is a constitutional product of Congress, the Executive, and the Judiciary. To single out the President is not only unfair, it is reckless. The real danger lies not in his leadership, but in those who weaponize deception to weaken the Republic,” he said. TRACY CABRERA