Malacañang supports an investigation into Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson’s claims that at least five Cabinet members had access to allocable or non-allocable funds amounting to billions in the 2025 budget.
In a message sent to reporters yesterday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said authorities should continue investigating to identify those responsible for mishandling public funds, as revealed by Lacson.
The Senate Blue Ribbon chair cited documents obtained from the late former Public Works Undersecretary Cathy Cabral and other Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) sources.
“Whoever is involved among the cabinet members and there is evidence [of their involvement], just keep up the investigation to track down the real culprits,” Castro said in Filipino.
“The president said, whoever it is, must be held accountable if they are truly involved. This is now in the hands of investigating bodies like the Ombudsman or the DOJ. Anyone with sufficient evidence can submit it to the ICI or directly file a case with the Ombudsman or the DOJ,” she added.
Over the weekend, Lacson mentioned that among the Cabinet members was one identified only as “ES,” who allegedly held ₱8.3 billion in allocable funds.
He also noted that former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan had at least ₱30.5 billion in allocable funds for 2025.
Lacson further claimed that aside from Bonoan, another Cabinet member, along with House leadership and party-list groups, had allocable funds.
As proof, he referred to former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo’s testimony that he had delivered money to that Cabinet member.
Lacson, who chairs the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, stated that the secretaries involved may be invited to testify before his panel’s hearings into alleged anomalies in flood control projects, once relevant documents are validated, including Special Allotment Release Orders (SAROs) dated December 27, 2024.
To recap, the Senator pointed out that Cabral had intended to testify about the SAROs before her passing.
“The information I got is based on documents given to me by Cabral’s lawyer and from documents I got from the DPWH. We can have these documents authenticated,” he added.
The senator also said that ensuring the proper implementation of the proposed 2026 national budget will be the public’s ‘next challenge’, following heightened vigilance during this year’s budget deliberations.
Lacson emphasized the importance of sustaining the level of vigilance demonstrated by the Catholic Church, religious groups, and civil society organizations in monitoring the budget’s implementation.
“The 2026 budget will show if there is indeed reform for our government and our nation. We must learn from the lessons of corruption in the budgets of 2025 and prior years,” he said.
He highlighted that the public should actively participate in identifying any wrongdoings in the implementation of the 2026 budget, noting that only 24 members of the Senate share his ‘reform-minded perspective’.
“[W]e should have the support of many Filipinos. So I will say, may the force be with us,” he added.
