Lacson Pushes Ban on Infra Project Insertions in Budget

To prevent a repeat of the massive corruption behind anomalous flood control and other infrastructure projects, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson pushed Sunday to ban lawmakers from making insertions for infrastructure projects in the budget bill.

Lacson stressed that the scale of corruption that has triggered public outrage and fueled protest actions all stem from the insertions made by greedy lawmakers.

“Both houses of Congress must agree not to make insertions for infrastructure projects. Institutional amendments are allowed but other insertions must be removed,” he said in Filipino in an interview on DZBB radio.

“This should apply not just to unprogrammed appropriations. Lawmakers simply must not meddle in infrastructure projects because that is the root of this massive corruption,” he added. “If we analyze the situation, Congress starts the corruption because of numerous insertions involving hundreds of billions of pesos.”

In Filipino: Lacson: Infra Project Insertions sa Budget, Dapat I-Ban

Lacson, who earned a reputation as an eagle-eyed watchdog of the national budget, explained that without such huge insertions in the budget, there will be no taxpayers’ money for corrupt officials in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to play with – or gamble away in casinos.

He said lawmakers should focus on making institutional amendments, such as additional funding for agencies like the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) whose budgets were slashed in the National Expenditure Program (NEP). The AMLC’s proposed 2026 budget was P333.1 million, but its recommended appropriation in the NEP was only P170.161 million.

“I plan to help restore its proposed budget because the AMLC plays a vital role such as freezing accounts and monitoring covered persons. If they lack funds for facilities and their digital systems, their budget must be augmented,” he said.

Lacson also said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) must be more circumspect in making recommendations to the President on the use of the unprogrammed funds.

While Lacson shared the concern of Senate finance committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian that unprogrammed appropriations in the budget may be a form of pork barrel, he said the suggestion to remove the unprogrammed appropriations may need further study.

During last Thursday’s Blue Ribbon panel hearing, Lacson – citing documents from Gatchalian – said P600 million supposedly for flood control projects in Bulacan was found in the Unprogrammed Fund under the 2023 GAA, which sacked DPWH engineer Brice Hernandez earlier linked to Sen. Joel Villanueva. Villanueva had denied the allegation.

“We must study this because removing the unprogrammed funds altogether may affect foreign-assisted projects that need augmentation. Big-ticket projects may be affected because if local funding is lacking, the President needs to get funds from the Special Purpose Fund under the unprogrammed funds,” he said.

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Lacson: Infra Project Insertions sa Budget, Dapat I-Ban

Upang maiwasan na maulit ang malawakang korapsyon sa mga maanomalyang proyekto sa flood control at iba pang imprastruktura, iginiit ni Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson nitong Linggo na ipagbawal ang mga mambabatas na gumawa ng insertions para sa mga proyektong imprastruktura sa pambansang budget.

Idiniin ni Lacson na ang lawak ng korapsyon na nag-udyok ng matinding galit ng publiko at nagpasimula ng mga kilos-protesta ay nag-ugat sa insertions na ginawa ng mga mambabatas na gahaman.

“Ang dapat ipagbawal, magkasundo kami sa both houses na bawal mag-insert ng proyekto. Kasi ang pwedeng i-insert ang institutional. Pero other insertions dapat alisin na yan,” ani Lacson sa panayam sa DZBB.

“Hindi lang sa unprogrammed appropriations kundi mismong insertions ng infrastructure projects, kung pwede huwag na kaming makialam doon. Doon nag-uugat eh. Pag in-analyze natin, sino ang nagpapasimuno ng corruption? Kongreso sa pamamagitan ng insertion na walang kapararakan. Daan-daang bilyon ang insertions,” dagdag pa niya.

Giit ni Lacson, na nakilala bilang masusing bantay ng kaban ng bayan,kung walang malalaking insertions sa budget, wala ring pondong makukuha ang mga tiwaling opisyal sa Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) na kanilang pinaglalaruan — o isinusugal pa sa mga casino.

Aniya, dapat ituon ng mga mambabatas ang pansin sa paggawa ng mga institutional amendments, gaya ng dagdag na pondo para sa mga ahensya tulad ng Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) na binawasan ang budget sa National Expenditure Program (NEP). Ang panukalang budget ng AMLC para sa 2026 ay P333.1 milyon, ngunit P170.161 milyon lamang ang inirekomenda sa NEP.

“Ang plan ko doon i-restore kasi napakahalaga ng papel ng AMLC sa nangyayari ngayon. Ang pag-freeze ng accounts, ang pag-monitor. Kung kulang sila ng facility at digital system, kailangan ibalik yan. Yan institutional,” ani Lacson.

Dagdag niya, dapat maging mas maingat ang Department of Budget and Management (DBM) sa pagbibigay ng rekomendasyon sa Pangulo hinggil sa paggamit ng unprogrammed funds.

Sang-ayon din si Lacson sa pangamba ni Senate finance committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian na maaaring anyo ng pork barrel ang unprogrammed appropriations, nguni’t kailangan pag-aralan ang panukalang tuluyang alisin ito.

Sa nakaraang pagdinig ng Blue Ribbon Committee noong Huwebes, binanggit ni Lacson, batay sa dokumento mula kay Gatchalian, na P600 milyon na nakalaan umano para sa mga flood control projects sa Bulacan ay natagpuan sa Unprogrammed Fund sa ilalim ng 2023 GAA, na dating iniuugnay ni dating DPWH engineer Brice Hernandez kay Sen. Joel Villanueva. Itinanggi ni Villanueva ang akusasyon.

“Piliin natin kasi baka may matamaang programa ng national government, halimbawa sa foreign-assisted projects baka nangangailangan ng augmentation doon… Baka maapektuhan ang big ticket like railway system pag kinulang ang budget noon, saan huhugot ang Pangulo? Doon siya kumukuha sa Special Purpose Fund kung saan sa ilalim noon ang unprogrammed appropriations,” ani Lacson.

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