Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson has maintained a consistently low tolerance for corruption throughout his public service – and will not let up in hounding the corrupt.

Lacson reiterated this Thursday as he continues to flag irregularities in the proposed 2027 budget measure, along with corruption behind “ghost” flood control and other infrastructure projects.

In Filipino: Lacson: Mababa Pa Rin ang Tolerance sa Korapsyon, Hindi Tatantanan ang mga Korap

“Mula law enforcement hanggang Senado, napakababa ng tolerance ko sa mga corrupt. I am always consistent in this regard. Talagang hindi ko sila tatantanan,” Lacson said in a post on X.

(From my days in law enforcement to the Senate, I have maintained a very low tolerance for the corrupt. I am always consistent in this regard. I will not stop hounding them.)

Mula law enforcement hanggang Senado, napakababa ng tolerance ko sa mga corrupt. I am always consistent in this regard. Talagang hindi ko sila tatantanan.

— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) September 17, 2026

During his law enforcement days from 1971 to 2001, Lacson went after criminals and corrupt policemen including “kotong (mulcting) cops.”

He enforced a “no-take policy” on protection money from illegal gambling, rejecting offers of bribes and hush money from officials while dismissing more than 2,000 police officers in the process.

As a senator since 2001, Lacson exposed various irregularities while consistently pushing to protect the national budget from “pork barrel” in all its forms.

In August, Lacson flagged lump-sum appropriations in the proposed 2027 budget, including P180 million for evacuation centers for each of the country’s 17 regions – totaling P3.06 billion.

He questioned the repeated changes in spending targets for the Universal Health Care (UHC) Program while actual spending did not consistently align with those targets, with the Department of Health adopting successive financing plans for UHC in 2022 alone.

Lacson pointed out as well how legislative insertions in the national budget became a major cause of delays and underutilization of funds for the DOH’s projects, as lawmakers add projects without consulting it.

On the other hand, Lacson and then Senate finance committee chairman and now Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian facilitated a P162.9-million budget boost that helped the Anti-Money Laundering Council integrate artificial intelligence in its anti-money laundering efforts this year.

Also, Lacson suggested to defund persistently nonperforming government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) instead of merely reducing their subsidies, so the government can maximize its limited resources.

Meanwhile, Lacson delivered last year privilege speeches exposing corruption involving flood control projects in areas including Bulacan and Mindoro, and chaired Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings on the matter.

He and his team furnished the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice with the pieces of evidence gathered during the Blue Ribbon panel hearings.

More recently, Lacson and his staff formally submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman at least 45 case studies backed by official documents detailing “systemic anomalies” in flood control infrastructure projects in Taguig City. The Office of the Ombudsman is now conducting a fact-finding investigation into the allegations involving the projects there.

Lacson and his team have also submitted to the Ombudsman several pieces of evidence they have gathered so far on the illegal reclamation and infrastructure projects in Taguig City.

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Lacson: Mababa Pa Rin ang Tolerance sa Korapsyon, Hindi Tatantanan ang mga Korap

Nanatiling mababa ang tolerance ni Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson sa korapsyon sa buong panahon ng kanyang serbisyo publiko, bilang alagad ng batas at mambabatas — at hindi niya tatantanan ang mga korap.

Muling iginiit ito ni Lacson nitong Huwebes habang patuloy niyang binabantayan ang mga iregularidad sa panukalang 2027 national budget, gayundin ang korapsyong nasa likod ng mga “ghost” flood control at iba pang infrastructure projects.

“Mula law enforcement hanggang Senado, napakababa ng tolerance ko sa mga corrupt. I am always consistent in this regard. Talagang hindi ko sila tatantanan,” diin ni Lacson sa X.

Noong nasa law enforcement pa siya mula 1971 hanggang 2001, hinabol ni Lacson ang mga kriminal at tiwaling pulis, kabilang ang mga “kotong” cops.

Ipinatupad niya ang “no-take policy” laban sa pangongolekta ng protection money mula sa illegal gambling, at tinanggihan ang mga alok na suhol at hush money mula sa mga opisyal. Sa proseso, mahigit 2,000 pulis ang nasibak sa serbisyo.

Bilang senador mula 2001, patuloy namang inilalantad ni Lacson ang mga iregularidad at isinusulong ang pagprotekta sa national budget laban sa “pork barrel” sa lahat ng anyo nito.

Nitong Agosto, binantayan ni Lacson ang mga lump-sum appropriation sa panukalang 2027 budget, kabilang ang P180 milyon para sa evacuation centers sa bawat isa sa 17 rehiyon ng bansa, o kabuuang P3.06 bilyon.

Kinuwestiyon din niya ang paulit-ulit na pagbabago sa spending targets para sa Universal Health Care (UHC) Program, dahil hindi naman palaging tumutugma rito ang aktuwal na paggasta. Noong 2022 lamang, ilang sunod-sunod na financing plan para sa UHC ang inilabas ng Department of Health.

Itinuro rin ni Lacson na malaking dahilan ng pagkaantala at underutilization ng pondo para sa mga proyekto ng DOH ang legislative insertions sa national budget, dahil nagdaragdag ang mga mambabatas ng mga proyekto nang hindi kinokonsulta ang kagawaran.

Samantala, sina Lacson at noo’y Senate finance committee chairman at ngayo’y Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian ang tumulong sa paglalaan ng karagdagang P162.9 milyon para sa Anti-Money Laundering Council, na nagbigay-daan sa paggamit nito ng artificial intelligence sa mga anti-money laundering efforts ngayong taon.

Iminungkahi rin ni Lacson na tanggalan na ng pondo ang mga government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) na patuloy na hindi maayos ang performance, sa halip na bawasan lamang ang kanilang subsidies, upang masulit ng pamahalaan ang limitadong resources nito.

Samantala, noong nakaraang taon ay nagbigay si Lacson ng mga privilege speech na naglantad sa korapsyong kinasasangkutan ng mga flood control project sa mga lugar kabilang ang Bulacan at Mindoro. Pinamunuan din niya ang mga pagdinig ng Senate Blue Ribbon Committee tungkol sa mga ito.

Isinumite ni Lacson at ng kanyang team sa Office of the Ombudsman at Department of Justice ang mga ebidensiyang nakalap sa mga pagdinig ng Blue Ribbon panel.

Kamakailan, pormal ding nagsumite si Lacson at ang kanyang staff sa Office of the Ombudsman ng hindi bababa sa 45 case studies na suportado ng mga opisyal na dokumento at nagdedetalye sa tinawag nilang “systemic anomalies” sa mga flood control infrastructure project sa Taguig City. Nagsasagawa na ngayon ang Ombudsman ng fact-finding investigation sa mga alegasyong kinasasangkutan ng mga proyekto roon.

Nagsumite rin sina Lacson at ang kanyang team sa Ombudsman ng ilang ebidensiyang nakalap nila hinggil sa mga umano’y ilegal na reclamation at infrastructure project sa Taguig City.

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