Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Tuesday questioned the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)’s so-called “Leadership Fund,” which he said allowed lawmakers to tinker with the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Lacson learned about the fund while grilling ex-DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s hearing on anomalous flood control projects.
During the hearing, Lacson had asked how ex-DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo could download hundreds of millions of pesos worth of projects sourced from the NEP, or the budget proposal prepared by the executive branch, to the Bulacan First District Engineering Office under now-sacked district engineer Henry Alcantara.
“The NEP is the President’s budget proposal to be transmitted to the House and eventually to the Senate. Why are there insertions in the NEP? That I cannot really understand for the life of me,” Lacson told Bonoan in a mix of English and Filipino at the hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee on anomalous flood control projects.
In Filipino: Lacson, Binanatan ang ‘Leadership Fund’ ng DPWH: Bakit Pinapayagang Sumawsaw ang mga Mambabatas sa NEP?
“You did not want to call it an insertion, so you called it a ‘leadership fund.’ Why are you accommodating lawmakers’ proposals?” he added.
In his statement which he read at the start of the hearing, Alcantara said Bernardo, who he met in 1997 and helped him become Bulacan first district engineer in 2019, started to download funds to his District Engineering Office in 2022.
He narrated that in 2023, Bernardo downloaded P710 million in projects to him, including P450 million from the National Expenditure Program. In 2024, Bernardo downloaded P3.3 billion to Alcantara’s office, including P150 million from the NEP. In 2025, P2.55 billion was downloaded to Alcantara’s office including P1.65 million from the NEP
The projects were supposedly for lawmakers including Sen. Joel Villanueva, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, former Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co, and former Rep. Mary Mitzi “Mitch” Cajayon-Uy.
Lacson, citing Alcantara’s statement that Bernardo sought from Alcantara an advance payment of 5% to 15% for projects in the NEP, asked Bonoan how infrastructure projects can be downloaded to DPWH district offices when they are still in the NEP and not yet in the budget law.
“How did the legislator insert projects into the budget proposal that is not yet in the legislation phase? The NEP is the domain of the executive. How can the legislator meddle through insertions?” he asked.
Bonoan replied that they consolidate the requested proposals of lawmakers in the NEP, including through the “leadership fund” in the Senate. He said the proposals are vetted with the DPWH’s planning service so the projects being included “are consistent with development programs.”
He also said they allowed the insertions in the NEP to avoid complications during the bicameral conference committee.
“We are not yet in the bicam. Why did you not tell them, can you not wait for the budget deliberations? The NEP is the exclusive jurisdiction of the executive branch. Why were you allowing it?” Lacson said.
Later in the hearing, Lacson reminded Bonoan of the four stages of the budgeting process, starting with budget preparation where the executive branch creates the proposed budget; authorization where Congress debates and approves the budget; execution where agencies spend approved funds; and accountability where bodies like the congressional oversight committees and the Commission on Audit monitor how the funds are spent.
“In the budget preparation phase, where does it say that lawmakers have a say and will have funds? The role of lawmakers is in the authorization phase,” he said.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III added that “the proper procedure should be followed,” with proposed items in the budget coming from local and regional development councils.
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Lacson, Binanatan ang ‘Leadership Fund’ ng DPWH: Bakit Pinapayagang Sumawsaw ang mga Mambabatas sa NEP?
Kinuwestiyon nitong Martes ni Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson ang “Leadership Fund” ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), na aniya’y nagbibigay-daan sa mga mambabatas na kalikutin ang National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Nalaman ni Lacson ang tungkol sa pondo habang tinatanong si dating DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan sa pagdinig ng Senate Blue Ribbon Committee kaugnay ng maanomalyang flood control projects.
Sa pagdinig, tinanong ni Lacson kung paano naipa-download ni dating DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo ang malaking halaga ng proyekto na galing pa lamang sa NEP, o budget proposal ng ehekutibo, sa Bulacan First District Engineering Office na noo’y pinamumunuan ni ngayo’y nasibak na district engineer na si Henry Alcantara.
“Ang NEP ita-transmit sa House of Representatives at kalaunan sa Senado. Bakit sa NEP, meron agad insertions? That I cannot really understand for the life of me,” ani Lacson kay Bonoan sa naturang pagdinig.
“Dapat hindi kayo nag-accommodate. Ayaw nyong tawaging insertion, tawag ninyo leadership fund. Bakit ninyo ina-accommodate??” he added.
Ani Alcantara sa pahayag na binasa niya sa simula ng pagdinig, si Bernardo — na nakilala niya noong 1997 at tumulong para maging district engineer ng Bulacan 1st DEO noong 2019 — ang nagsimulang mag-download ng pondo sa kanyang opisina noong 2022.
Isinalaysay niya na noong 2023, nag-download si Bernardo ng halagang P710 milyon na proyekto, kabilang ang P450 milyon mula sa NEP. Noong 2024, umabot sa P3.3 bilyon ang na-download sa kanyang opisina, kabilang ang P150 milyon mula sa NEP. Noong 2025, umabot sa P2.55 bilyon ang na-download, kabilang ang P1.65 bilyon mula sa NEP.
Ang mga proyektong ito umano ay para sa mga mambabatas gaya nina Sen. Joel Villanueva, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, dating Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co, at dating Rep. Mary Mitzi “Mitch” Cajayon-Uy.
Binanggit din ni Lacson ang pahayag ni Alcantara na humihingi si Bernardo ng advance payment na 5% hanggang 15% para sa mga proyektong galing sa NEP. Tinanong niya si Bonoan kung paano nagagawang i-download ang mga proyektong ito sa mga district office ng DPWH gayong nasa NEP pa lamang at hindi pa nagiging budget law.
“Paano naka-insert ang legislator sa budget proposal pa lang? Wala pa sa legislation phase. That’s the domain of the executive. Paano nakikialam na ang legislator sa insertion?” ani Lacson.
Sagot ni Bonoan, isinasama nila sa NEP ang hiling ng mga mambabatas, kabilang sa pamamagitan ng “leadership fund” sa Senado. Aniya, susuriin ito ng DPWH Planning Service para masiguro na tugma sa development programs ang mga proyektong isinasama.
Dagdag ni Bonoan, pinapayagan nila ang insertions sa NEP upang maiwasan ang komplikasyon sa bicameral conference committee.
“Wala pa tayo sa bicam. Bakit di nyo sabihin sa kanila, can you not wait for budget deliberations? Bakit nyo pinapayagan? Exclusive jurisdiction ng executive branch ang President’s budget. Why were you allowing it?” ani Lacson.
Sa pagdinig, ipinaalala din ni Lacson kay Bonoan ang apat na yugto ng proseso ng pagbubuo ng budget: ang budget preparation kung saan binubuo ng ehekutibo ang panukalang budget; ang authorization kung saan dinidinig at inaaprubahan ng Kongreso ang budget; ang execution kung saan ginagastos ng mga ahensya ang inaprubahang pondo; at ang accountability kung saan minomonitor ng mga oversight committee ng Kongreso at ng Commission on Audit (COA) kung paano nagastos ang pondo.
“Saan papasok ang sa budget preparation meron na agad ang legislators? Ang pakialam ng legislators authorization phase,” aniya.
Dagdag naman ni Senate President Vicente Sotto III na, “dapat sundin ang tamang proseso,” kung saan ang mga panukalang proyekto sa budget ay dapat magmula sa mga local at regional development councils.
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