Tag: 2026 budget

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Lacson: Briefly Reenacted 2025 Budget Better than Rushed, Corruption-Prone 2026 Budget

A briefly reenacted 2025 budget would be preferable to rushing the passage of the 2026 version only to find it unresponsive to the needs of the times – or worse, prone to corruption, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Wednesday.

Lacson said this after Executive Secretary Ralph Recto was quoted as saying President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is to sign the P6.793-trillion budget for 2026 in the first week of January, meaning a reenacted budget for a few days.

He also reiterated that the key, even after the budget is finally signed into law, should still be continued vigilance in monitoring, reporting, and even shaming wrongdoing in government.

“This is exactly what I said earlier – better a reenacted budget in January, or even in the first quarter of 2026, than rushing the passage of a national budget that is not responsive to the call of the times, amidst the yet unresolved investigations on the misuse and abuse of the current and previous expenditure programs, particularly involving flood control projects,” said Lacson, a long-time watchdog of the national budget.

In Filipino: Lacson: Panandaliang Reenacted 2025 Budget, Mas Mainam kaysa Minadali at Corruption-Prone na 2026 Budget

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Lacson Hopeful Safeguards in 2026 Budget, Continued Vigilance vs Abuse Can Bring Positive Change

With safeguards among others in place and with continued public vigilance, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson holds high hopes that the 2026 budget will help bring positive change for Filipinos.

Lacson lauded the Senate panel in the bicameral conference committee led by Senate finance committee Sherwin Gatchalian for fighting for the safeguards and transparency measures the Senate has inserted.

“Amid all the disinformation and unreasonable criticisms, we have all the reasons to be proud of our Senate panel under the leadership of our Finance Chair Senator Win. I give my two thumbs up from start to finish,” Lacson said.

“We do not live in a perfect world, much less in an ideal situation, so we cannot be perfectionists and idealistic given the circumstances. That’s why adjustments must be made both ways,” he added.

In Filipino: Lacson, Umaasang Safeguards sa 2026 Budget at Pagmamatyag vs Abuso, Tutulong sa Pagdulot ng Pagbabago

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Lacson: Budget Transparency Efforts Must Continue Despite ‘Birth Pains’

Despite “birth pains” in the form of stalemates in the bicameral conference committee meetings on the 2026 budget bill, lawmakers must press on with their efforts to ensure transparency, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Wednesday.

Lacson also stressed that Filipinos – and not just lawmakers – must make sure the bitter lessons from the anomalous flood control project scandal are not repeated if the country is to recover and move forward.

“Unprecedented ito. Pinaguusapan nga namin kahapon. Sabi ko kay Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, alam mo itong nangyaring deadlock at usaping ganyan, birth pains ito kasi di pa nangyari ang ganito ka-transparent especially ang bicam. Kasi alam natin ang kalakaran noong nakaraan. So birth pains ito (What we experienced has been unprecedented. We talked about this Tuesday and I told Senate finance committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian that the deadlocks are part of the birth pains because we haven’t been this transparent especially in the bicam. And we know what took place in past years. So this is part of birth pains),” he said in an interview on DZRH radio.

“Ito ang pagkakataon para ireporma natin ang budgeting system natin. Kung di pa tayo uusad after itong napakasakit na experience sa flood control project scandal, wala na talaga tayong pagasa (This is our chance to reform our budgeting system. If we cannot learn from the painful experience from the flood control project scandal, then we are hopeless),” he added, in a separate interview on DZBB radio.

In Filipino: Lacson: Transparency sa Badyet, Dapat Ipagpatuloy sa Kabila ng ‘Birth Pains’

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Lacson Rebuts ‘Senate Pork’ Claims: Funds are for Higher Subsistence Allowance Hike

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson on Wednesday rebutted claims of an alleged P17.9-billion pork barrel fund for the Senate in the 2026 budget bill, saying these are actually realignments to increase the subsistence allowance of uniformed personnel.

Lacson said the claims of “Senate pork” made by Rep. Antonio Tinio smacked either of “trabahong tamad (lazy work)” or a malicious attempt to destabilize the Senate.

“The ‘Senate pork’ referred to by Rep. Tinio are actually realignments to increase the subsistence allowance of the uniformed personnel from the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and Bureau of Fire Protection and also the Philippine Coast Guard,” Lacson stressed.

“Rep. Tinio is either too lazy to do his research, or he is malevolently destabilizing the Senate to take the heat off the House of Representatives,” he added.

In Filipino: Lacson: Walang “Senate Pork,” Pondo para Pataasin ang Subsistence Allowance ng Uniformed Services

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Lacson: We Stand Four-Square Behind the Senate Panel to Uphold Full Transparency in Budget Bill

We stand four-square behind the efforts of the Senate panel behind Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian to uphold full transparency in the 2026 budget bill.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson stressed this Tuesday amid another issue that surfaced, this time involving farm-to-market (FMR) road projects that were not properly identified.

He said this came as two other issues involving the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)’s appeal to restore its budget cuts are nearing a resolution after DPWH Sec. Vince Dizon apologized to the Senate for submitting “insufficient data” during the bicameral deliberations.

“With equal urgency and importance is the new FMR issue raised by Sen. Francis Pangilinan. At least P5 billion worth of FMR projects are not properly identified, even revised from what the Senate approved on third reading: no grid coordinates, description, etc. Based on our majority caucus yesterday, we cannot and will not allow that. For the sake of full transparency, we stand four-square behind our panel under the leadership of its chairman, Sen. Gatchalian,” Lacson said.

In Filipino: Lacson: Buo ang Suporta sa Senate Panel para Itaguyod ang Ganap na Transparency sa Budget Bill

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