Tag: budget insertions

Posted on

Lacson Calls for Inter-Agency Probe Into Budget Insertion Claims, Warns vs ‘Cover-Up’

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson called for a genuine inter-agency investigation into claims linking Cabinet officials to multibillion-peso budget insertions for Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) infrastructure projects, as he warned that prematurely dismissing them risks the perception of a “cover-up.”

Lacson said it is too early for Malacanang to brand claims related to the insertions as “hearsay” especially since significant evidence had been unearthed, mainly from hearings of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee which he chairs.

“Instead of pursuing an honest-to-goodness inter-agency investigation by using whatever probative value was unearthed mainly from the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings, to prematurely dismiss the probable involvement of some members of the Cabinet as ‘hearsay’ may be interpreted as a euphemism for ‘cover-up,’” Lacson said.

In Filipino: Lacson, Nanawagan ng Inter-Agency Probe sa Umano’y Budget Insertions ng Ilang Cabinet Members; Nagbabala vs ‘Cover-Up’

Continue reading “Lacson Calls for Inter-Agency Probe Into Budget Insertion Claims, Warns vs ‘Cover-Up’”

Posted on

Lacson: Senators Elected in 2025 Not Included in Leviste Claim on Budget Insertions

Senators who were elected last May are not among those who had budget insertions in the 2025 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as claimed by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said.

Lacson said the records cited by Leviste, which supposedly showed senators’ insertions in the DPWH’s 2025 budget amounting to P120 billion, refer to a budget that was approved by the 19th Congress, months before the May midterm elections.

“Congressman Leviste should at least qualify his statement with the phrase ‘in the 19th Congress’ in fairness to the new members of the 20th Congress, including myself and Senate President Vicente Sotto III, among others,” he said.

“That said, even during the previous Congresses, I never partook of allocables or pork barrel allocations, or whatever names they were called,” he added.

In Filipino: Lacson: Mga Senador na Nahalal noong Mayo, Hindi Kabilang sa Mga Mayroong 2025 Budget Insertions

Continue reading “Lacson: Senators Elected in 2025 Not Included in Leviste Claim on Budget Insertions”

Posted on

Ping Lacson Disowns Documents on Senate President’s “Budget Insertion”

Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson on Saturday disowned the documents that supposedly linked Senate President Francis Escudero to P142.7 billion in insertions in the 2025 national budget.

Lacson said the documents could not have come from him as his research on the national budget for 2025 and earlier years is still ongoing.

“I can clearly speak for myself… The supposed documents on the insertions did not come from me because my research on the 2025 budget is still ongoing. We have not reached the point where we have scrutinized the budget item for item,” he said in Filipino in an interview on DWIZ radio, when asked about the issue.

In Filipino: Ping Lacson: Hindi Sa Akin Galing ang Dokumento sa “Budget Insertion” ni SP Escudero

Continue reading “Ping Lacson Disowns Documents on Senate President’s “Budget Insertion””