Tag: pork barrel

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Lacson to Closely Scrutinize DPWH Budget Realignments, Including ‘Ayuda’

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson will closely scrutinize the realignments made in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)’s proposed budget for 2026, particularly those introduced in the House of Representatives for “ayuda” programs.

Lacson, an eagle-eyed watchdog of the national budget, said this Wednesday after noting that at least P46 billion of the DPWH’s budget was realigned to “ayuda” programs.

“We expect the House version of the General Appropriations Bill to be transmitted to us soon. We will compare this House version of the budget bill with the National Expenditure Program to check which items got a spike in funding,” he said in Filipino in an interview on True FM.

In Filipino: Lacson: Bubusisiin ang DPWH Budget Realignments, Kabilang ang Para sa ‘Ayuda’

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Lacson: Transparency Efforts Could be Senate’s Key to Regaining Public Trust

Efforts to fight corruption and uphold transparency could be one of the keys for the Senate to recover from its low trust and performance ratings and to regain the public’s trust, anti-corruption advocate Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said.

Lacson said the Senate’s low ratings may have stemmed from factors including public perception of “pork” insertions by some senators, as well as the handling of the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.

“It could have been a factor, rightly or wrongly. That is the public’s perception because that is what people see or read daily. It’s a combination of so many factors, so we must be careful,” he said in Filipino in an interview on One PH.

In Filipino: Lacson: Transparency Efforts Susi ng Senado sa Pagbawi sa Mababang Trust Ratings

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Lacson Pushes Open Bicam, Longer ‘Review’ Period for Budget Bill

Opening the bicameral conference committee proceedings on the national budget to the public may not fully prevent the insertion of “pork barrel” funds, but it would certainly help pinpoint the lawmakers who attempt to do so, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Wednesday.

Lacson said the “Open Bicam” that he and fellow lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives are pushing will be a big step towards transparency in the budget process.

Also, he pushed for longer periods for the Senate to review the House’s amendments to the National Expenditure Program, and for Congress to review and revise the budget bill if the President vetoes it.

“It is still possible that some insertions could be made, but at least we can identify those who did so for their projects. We can track the differences between the General Appropriations Bill and the National Expenditure Program, with the public observing and with minutes and transcripts of the proceedings,” he said in Filipino in an interview on Bombo Radyo Philippines.

“For their part, lawmakers will think twice before making insertions or realignments because they can be identified,” he added.

In Filipino: Lacson, Itinulak ang Open Bicam, Sapat na ‘Review’ Period para sa Budget Bill

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Ping Lacson More Emboldened to Fight Pork in Budget after President’s SONA

Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson is now more emboldened to fight pork barrel and other anomalies in the budget, after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stressed there should be no repeat of the mangling of the 2025 budget in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday.

Lacson, an avowed enemy of the pork barrel system, also cited other positive developments from House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman that further fuel his drive to keep the budgeting process transparent and corruption-free.

“I will help because this is something I have been doing for so long. But now I and my staff are more emboldened to go after pork barrel because the President himself said he will not sign a budget bill that does not align with the National Expenditure Program,” he said in Filipino in an interview on DZBB radio Tuesday.

In Filipino: Ping Lacson, Lalong Lumakas ang Loob na Labanan ang ‘Pork’ sa Budget Matapos ang SONA ng Pangulo

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Ping Lacson to Fellow Lawmakers: Take Cue from President’s SONA Warnings on Budget, Flood Control

Members of both houses of Congress should take their cue from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “Mahiya naman kayo” pronouncement in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) regarding anomalies in the government’s flood control programs and in the national budget.

Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson stressed this on Tuesday even as he said the President’s order to inventory flood control programs to see which are failures and ghost projects – as well as finding anomalous items in the budget bill – may be “tedious but workable.”

“The President capped his SONA with a pronouncement that he knows will hit his audience – that’s us lawmakers… The pronouncement that those involved in anomalies in the flood control programs and the national budget should be ashamed should cut to the bone. Those who don’t feel any shame would simply be bad to the bone,” he said in an interview on DZBB radio.

In Filipino: Ping Lacson sa Kapwa Mambabatas: Bigyang Pansin ang Patama ng Pangulo sa SONA Tungkol sa Budget at Flood Control

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