In an interview on DWIZ, Sen. Lacson answered questions on:
– ‘Patay kung patay!’ Dealing with ‘organized’ moves by pork proponents
– pork proponents’ violation and twisting of the 1987 Constitution
– death threats vs Mayor Benjie Magalong
In a letter dated Sept. 19, 2019, Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro lobbied with Sen. Lacson for financial assistance to construct a municipal building for Dumalag town, costing P258 million. The stamp indicating the time and date it was received at Sen. Lacson’s office belies Castro’s claim that the lobbying was ‘fictional.’
In an interview, Sen. Lacson answered questions on:
– ‘ceasefire’ with some House members on 2020 budget
– call from the House to cut the Senate’s budget
– passage of 2020 budget in the Senate in 2-3 weeks
I was alone in this fight against pork for a long time. Now that many like-minded colleagues in the Senate are equally committed to do the same, with more reason I should be more vigilant.
The whining and howling of Congressman Castro and his like-minded colleagues will not distract me from performing my mandate of scrutinizing the budget measure.
As for those House members who abused the hard-earned money of taxpayers for the longest time that they availed of ‘pork,’ they are the ones who should apologize to the Filipino people.
Not true. Instead, my suggestion didn’t sit well with the congressmen.
Executive Secretary Medialdea and Finance Secretary Dominguez in fact favorably endorsed my suggestion to President Rodrigo Duterte as a practical and logical approach to break the impasse, especially when I informed the President about the House of Representatives substantially slashing the P72.319-billion DPWH appropriations for the agency’s MFO1 and MFO2 (Major Final Output), which will have negative implications on the government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program.
What was obvious last night is that the suggestion didn’t sit well with the congressmen because they cannot be sure if all their realignments will be adopted. It’s all about their pork, not mindful if they will be derailing the flagship projects of the government.
In an interview on DZBB, Sen. Lacson answered questions on:
– more ‘talking heads’ after Reps. Bravo and Castro
– institutional vs individual amendments
– call to the public on the pork barrel issue
Sa halip na magdulot ng kahihiyan, lalong nakatulong ang mga kongresistang naglilihis sa tunay na pangyayari sa 2019 national budget para maunawaan ng publiko ang krusada ni Senador Panfilo Lacson laban sa pork barrel.
Ayon kay Lacson, ang mga kongresistang nagsalita na ang mismong nagpaabot sa publiko kung gaano kaganid ang mga ito bunga na rin ng pagbaluktot sa mga usapin, makapagpasasa lamang sa pork barrel na itinago sa iba’t ibang ahensiya.
Matapos ang sunod-sunod na pagbubunyag ng mga nakatagong pork barrel sa iba’t ibang ahensiya mula sa deliberasyon sa Senado hanggang sa pagtalakay nito sa bicameral panel, nagpalusot at nag-imbento ng buwelta kay Lacson ang ilang kaalyado ni House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The more they talk, the more they enlighten the public about the “evil pork” in the national budget, if unwittingly so.
On this note, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson thanked the “talking heads” of House Speaker Gloria Arroyo for contributing to the public’s knowledge on the issue.
“What Speaker GMA’s talking heads obviously do not realize is that they’re actually advancing my cause in educating the public more about the ‘evil pork’ in the national budget. I earnestly urge them to continue this public discourse. Many thanks to Cong. Castro and Bravo,” Lacson said in a post on his Twitter account Saturday night.