Category: Interpellation

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Lacson Pushes P250M Funding for Anti-Corruption Office in Judiciary

To strengthen the Judiciary’s fight against corruption, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson on Wednesday pushed for the inclusion of funds in the 2026 budget for the newly reorganized Judicial Integrity Office (JIO).

During his interpellation of the 2026 budget of the Judiciary, Lacson noted that operationalizing the JIO would help strengthen accountability among judges, officials and employees of the courts.

“I’m interested in this. (This is part of the) signs of the times (because) as the nomenclature suggests, JIO will be primarily tasked to promote integrity and to address issues of corruption within the Judiciary,” he said.

“While the consciousness is high in addressing corruption, maybe this is the proper time to assist the Supreme Court and the Judiciary to organize immediately the JIO,” he added.

In Filipino: Lacson, Itinulak ang P250M Pondo para sa Anti-Corruption Office sa Hudikatura

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Lacson: Allocable Is The New Pork Barrel

“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

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Lacson Red-Flags P51.82B ‘Distinct’ Insertions in 2026 NEP, Pushes Realignment

Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson on Tuesday flagged at least P51.82 billion worth of vague, “distinct” insertions in the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), and is targeting them for realignment to programs consistent with the Philippine Medium-Term Development Plan.

Lacson said these flagged items are for flood management programs for Metro Manila and Regions 1 (Ilocos), 2 (Cagayan Valley), and 3 (Central Luzon).

He said he and Senate finance committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian have agreed to remove funding for these dubious projects in favor of more worthy ones.

“Sen. Gatchalian and I want to remove these vague entries in the NEP. It seems those who inserted these items plan to make them ghost projects. We could not identify who inserted them,” he said in Filipino in an interview on DZRH radio.

“When we amend the budget bill, we intend to realign these items to those in accordance with the Philippine medium term development plan and in coordination and consultation with the Department of Budget and Management and Department of Public Works and Highways so our amendments will be aligned with the direction that the national government wants to take. Our plan is to remove these items because they are too vague,” he added.

In Filipino: Lacson, Pinuna ang P51.2B ‘Distinct’ Insertions sa 2026 NEP

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Lacson: 2 DPWH Bulacan Officials Lost At Least P300M Each in Casino Gambling

At least two Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials in Bulacan squandered more than P300 million each in casino gambling, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson bared Monday.

During the interpellation of his Aug. 20 privilege speech on substandard and ghost flood control projects, Lacson said he has given advance information of these two officials to new DPWH head Vince Dizon.

“The two of them, as per my information, used aliases. They hid their true identities, and used fictitious names,” Lacson said. He said one is a district engineer and another is a minor functionary.

“So you can just imagine the enormity of the corruption that is going on. This is only in Bulacan,” he added. He said he got hold of the aliases they used, so authorities can identify them or get the records of their winnings and losses.

In Filipino: Lacson: 2 DPWH Bulacan Officials, Natalo ng Tig-P300M sa Casino Gambling

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Lacson to Executive Branch: Protect Education Sector’s Budget, Uphold the Constitution

Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson pressed the Executive Department Monday to guard the education sector’s budget from a repeat of last year’s congressional “miracle” where it was overtaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), in violation of the Constitution.

Lacson warned the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) not to become an “accessory” again to the potential violation of the 1987 Constitution.

“You need to remind legislators not to realign too much because we may be violating the Constitution. When you potentially violate the Constitution, that’s a major, major, major issue,” he told Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman in Filipino, at the briefing by the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC).

In Filipino: Lacson sa Ehekutibo: Protektahan ang Badyet ng Edukasyon, Panindigan ang Konstitusyon

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