Tag: bicameral conference

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Lacson: Senate Won’t Allow Reenacted 2025 Budget

The Senate will not allow the reenactment in 2026 of the 2025 national budget that has been described as corrupt to the core, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Saturday.

Lacson said this is why the Senate is adopting measures to ensure transparency in the deliberations on the budget bill, including the livestreaming of the bicameral conference committee.

“Passing the 2026 budget bill is important. Without it, we may have a reenacted budget, and we will not allow that. If the 2025 budget is reenacted, we will see large lump sum appropriations coming from a 2025 budget that has had so many problems,” he said in Filipino in an interview on DWIZ radio.

In Filipino: Lacson: Hindi Papayagan ng Senado ang Reenacted 2025 Budget

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Push to Scrap Unprogrammed Appropriations in 2026 Budget Gains Momentum as Lacson Backs Sotto, Gatchalian

The push to scrap unprogrammed appropriations from the 2026 national budget gained more momentum as Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson threw his full support behind Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senate finance committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian.

Lacson said Saturday that he will add his voice to the Senate’s stand if the Senate and House contingents meet on the matter at the bicameral conference committee.

“Our agreement was that there will be no unprogrammed appropriations in the 2026 budget, but we will allow funding for foreign-assisted projects that are necessary. Funds in the unprogrammed appropriations for other purposes will be removed,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino, in an interview on DZMM radio.

In Filipino: Lacson, Suportado sina Sotto at Gatchalian: Alisin ang Unprogrammed Appropriations sa 2026 Budget

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Lacson Asks: Why Did Senate and House Allow the Illegal P74B Realignment of PhilHealth Subsidy in 2025 GAA?

Why did lawmakers allow the scrapping of P74 billion for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) when they knew it was illegal?

Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson raised this question on Monday as he noted the realignment of the P74 billion in the GAA effectively amended the Sin Tax Law, violating the principle that a general law cannot amend a special law.

“(The) GAA is a general law. And the sin tax law is a special law. And any lawyer will tell you, or any member of Congress will tell you that a general law cannot amend a special law. In other words, what the Senate did and what the House did was illegal,” Lacson, an eagle-eyed watchdog of the budget, said in his interjection of Sen. JV Ejercito’s privilege speech about the Universal Health Care Act.

In Filipino: Tanong ni Lacson: Bakit Pumayag ang Senado at Kamara sa Ilegal na P74B Realignment ng PhilHealth Subsidy sa 2025 GAA?

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On Opening the Budget Bicam Deliberations to the Public

I have always fought for opening the bicameral conference deliberations on the budget measure to the public, or at least to accredited non-government organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs) and the media.

One of the 10 priority bills that I will file starting June 30 is a bill to ensure transparency in the bicam deliberations on the national budget bill – a proposed measure I have filed in past Congresses. I hope there will be a counterpart bill in the House for my bill in the Senate.

That being said, I am hopeful that such transparency will materialize in the 20th Congress, as House members led by Speaker Martin Romualdez have voiced support for opening the bicam deliberations to the public.

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In Filipino: Sa Pagbukas ng Budget Bicam Deliberations sa Publiko

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Ping Lacson: Having Public, Including President, as Observers in Budget Bicam Deliberations to Boost Transparency

There is nothing wrong in having the public – including the President – as observers in the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the national budget as it will ensure transparency on the matter, incoming Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson stressed Saturday afternoon.

Lacson also maintained that the development plans of local government units (LGUs) must be heard in the preparation of the national budget, and this can best be done through the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) and not any one agency.

“Why prevent the President from being an observer? Ideally, any Filipino should be allowed to observe the bicameral deliberations. In my bill, I limited the observers to accredited non-government organizations and civil society groups so the venue will not be too crowded. But the bottom line is that someone will be there to observe and guard the proceedings,” Lacson, who earned a reputation as a watchdog of the budget, said in Filipino in an interview on DWIZ radio.

“I am in favor of the President and his Cabinet being there as observers – along with accredited NGOs and CSOs, and even the media,” he added.

In Filipino: Ping Lacson: Pag-Obserba ng Publiko, Kabilang ang Pangulo, sa Budget Bicam Deliberations Kailangan para Tiyakin ang Transparency

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