“Allocable” is the new pork barrel.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson bared this on Tuesday after scrutinizing documents related to the 2025 national budget, which he described as “corrupt to the core.”
Lacson said the “allocables” were in the National Expenditure Program (NEP), and allows the funding of projects before they are identified.
“Bakit nauuna ang funding bago i-identify ang mga projects? Di ba dapat, projects muna saka hahanapan ng funding (Why does the funding come first before the projects are identified? Shouldn’t the projects be identified first before funding is allocated for them)?” Lacson, an eagle-eyed watchdog of the national budget. said in his interpellation of the 2026 budget bill. “Hindi ba dapat may items na galing sa regional development council bago pondohan? Nauna ang pagpondo saka lang hahanapan ng items sa NEP (Shouldn’t there be items from the regional development council before the funding? In this case, the funding came first before the identification of projects in the NEP).”
In Filipino: Lacson: Allocable ang Bagong Pork Barrel
“It’s just now that I heard of allocables. An allocable is equivalent to pork barrel because it allows items to be funded before they are identified,” he added in a mix of Filipino and English an interview on True FM.
He said their initial scrutiny showed that in the 2025 national budget, the House leadership got P143.5 billion in allocables. Party lists also had allocables, he said.
Also, he noted “non-legislators” got allocables as well, with at least one official from the executive department getting P8.3 billion.
Even former Department of Public Works and Highways secretary Manuel Bonoan got allocables in the 2025 budget, he said.
When asked if the DPWH was not the only agency that got allocables, Lacson said there were other agencies “outside the DPWH” that got them.
In contrast, he said that the Development Budget Coordination Committee, in vetting projects for inclusion in the NEP, had to vet and trim the requests for properly planned projects proposed by the regional development councils that amounted to P10 trillion for 2026.
“We’re talking of the NEP, the President’s Budget. Yet, the insertions are already there even before it is transmitted to Congress,” he said.
“The 2025 budget is corrupt to the core. I have been in the Senate for so long, but this is the first time I saw corruption hounding the budget process from start to finish. If this were a marathon, the corruption begins when the starting pistol is fired but the corruption continues even after everyone crosses the finish line,” he added.
Lacson said he would bring this before the plenary so economic managers and fellow lawmakers would see how corrupt the 2025 budget has become.
“In crafting the 2026 budget, when I interpellate, I review the budgets of the previous three years. This time I could not establish a pattern because the corruption in the 2025 budget was unprecedented,” he said.
“Some people just don’t know when to stop. Now that the anomalies are coming out, those in government must realize that everything comes to an end. Sooner or later, if not the next year or after three years, if you do it habitually, it will catch up with you,” he added.
But Lacson said he is confident the “allocables” will not be part of the 2026 budget, which he said could be “the most transparent national budget.” This includes removing the unprogrammed appropriations except for foreign-assisted projects, he said.
Meanwhile, Lacson appealed to the public to sustain their anger over the corruption behind anomalous flood control projects, but also to be patient with the due process that he said should lead to the logical conclusion – prosecution, conviction and jail – against those involved.
He said he has talked to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida, and Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon, and noted their sincerity in ensuring this logical conclusion.
“We must remain patient yet vigilant. Let’s not lose our focus,” he said.
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Lacson: Allocable ang Bagong Pork Barrel
Ang “allocable” ay ang bagong pork barrel ngayon.
Ibinunyag ito ni Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson nitong Martes matapos niyang suriin ang mga dokumento kaugnay ng 2025 national budget, na inilarawan niya bilang “corrupt to the core.”
Diin ni Lacson, ang mga “allocables” ay nasa National Expenditure Program (NEP), at nagbibigay puwang para pondohan ang mga proyekto bago pa man sila matukoy.
“Bakit nauuna ang funding bago i-identify ang mga projects? Di ba dapat, projects muna saka hahanapan ng funding?” ayon sa mambabatas na nakilala bilang tagabantay ng kaban ng bayan, sa kanyang interpelasyon sa 2026 budget bill. “Hindi ba dapat may items na galing sa regional development council bago pondohan? Nauna ang pagpondo saka lang hahanapan ng items sa NEP.”
“Ngayon lang namin narinig ang allocable. Ang allocable is equivalent to pork barrel,” aniya sa panayam sa True FM.
Ayon sa paunang pagsusuri ni Lacson at ng staff niya, nakakuha ang House leadership ng P143.5 bilyon sa allocables. Maging ang mga party-list ay mayroon din, aniya.
Dagdag niya, may mga “non-legislators” ding nabigyan ng allocables — may isang opisyal sa executive department na nakakuha ng P8.3 bilyon.
Maging si dating DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan ay nakakuha rin umano ng allocables sa 2025 budget.
Nang tanungin kung DPWH lang ba ang ahensyang nakatanggap nito, sinabi ni Lacson na may iba pang mga ahensyang “outside the DPWH” na nakakuha rin.
Sa kabilang banda, sinabi niyang ang Development Budget Coordination Committee, sa pag-vet ng mga proyektong isasama sa NEP, ay kinailangang salain at bawasan pa ang mga request para lehitimo at planadong proyekto mula sa regional development councils, na umabot sa P10 trilyon para sa 2026.
“We’re talking of the NEP, the first step bago ma-transmit ang president’s budget. Hindi pa transmit sa Kongreso, nandoon na insertions,” ani Lacson.
“Ang 2025, ito ang sagad to the bones. Ngayon ko lang nakita, ang tagal ko sa Senate ngayon lang ako nakakita from start to finish. Sa marathon, sa pagbaril umarangkada na hanggang sa finish line tumitira pa,” dagdag niya.
Sinabi rin ni Lacson na dadalhin niya ito sa plenary upang makita ng economic managers at kapwa mambabatas kung gaano kalala ang korapsyon sa 2025 budget.
“Ngayon 2026 ang pinaguusapan pero ugali ko pag nag-interpellate ako para sa next year’s budget binabalik ko ng tatlong taon kasi nag-e-establish ako ng pattern. This time wala akong ma-establish na pattern kung ang idi-discuss ay 2025. Walang kahambing. Parang wala nang katulad,” aniya.
“Some people just don’t know when to stop. Ngayon may naglalabasan na anomalya may nababanggit na pangalan dapat ma-realize ng taga-gobyerno na lahat may katapusan. Sooner or later kung di sa susunod na taon, kung di after 3 years, pag ginawa mo yan habitually, eventually it will catch up with you,” dagdag niya.
Tiwala naman si Lacson na hindi na magiging bahagi ng 2026 budget ang “allocables,” na maaaring maging “the most transparent national budget.” Kasama rito ang pag-alis ng unprogrammed appropriations maliban sa foreign-assisted projects, aniya.
Samantala, nanawagan si Lacson sa publiko na panatilihin ang galit laban sa korapsyon sa likod ng mga kuwestiyonableng flood control projects, ngunit sabayan ito ng pasensya dahil dapat dumaan sa due process na hahantong sa lohikal na wakas — prosecution, conviction, at pagkakakulong — ng mga sangkot.
Sinabi niyang nakausap niya sina Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida, at Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon, at nakita niya ang kanilang sinseridad na itaguyod ang prosesong ito hanggang dulo.
“Magtiyaga nang kaunti pero maging mapagbantay, huwag tayo bumitaw,” aniya.
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