Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson urged fellow lawmakers Tuesday to treat revelations of massive budget insertions in the 2025 spending plan as a wake-up call to ensure a pork-free budget in 2026 and beyond.
Lacson said the disclosure was not aimed at singling out senators or representatives, but rather at highlighting public outrage against corruption and wasteful projects.
“I can actually feel and understand completely the sentiments expressed by my colleagues, at least the members of the majority bloc during our majority caucus yesterday,” he said.
“I explained to them that the mention of ‘almost all senators’ was not intended to put them or the whole Senate on the spot, nor did I have the intention of calling them out particularly,” Lacson added.
He clarified his intent was to acknowledge the crisis stemming from recent findings of substandard or ghost flood-control projects exposed in Blue Ribbon Committee hearings and other probes.
The veteran lawmaker also said the controversy presents an opportunity for the Senate to lead by example in promoting transparency in the national budget.
He emphasized that the main objective is to prevent the diversion of funds from vetted initiatives, particularly foreign-assisted projects, to legislators’ pet projects.
“This is not about individual senators or congressmen. This is about all of us, a reminder that we must be transparent in doing our jobs because the people are watching us,” Lacson said.
