Lacson flags ‘double kill’ budget insertions, seeks bicam transparency

MANILA — Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Sunday raised alarm over repeated insertions in the national budget process, describing the practice as a “double kill” where questionable allocations are inserted during executive preparation and again in Congress.

“Pag nagsingit ka sa NEP, pag-transmit sa HOR and Senate sisingit uli. Double kill,” Lacson said in a radio interview, referring to realignments made during the drafting of the National Expenditure Program (NEP) and after its transmittal to the House of Representatives and the Senate.

To counter these schemes, Lacson said the Senate is pushing for the release of transcripts and continuous livestreaming of bicameral conference committee proceedings on the proposed 2027 national budget.

Lacson explained that detailed transcripts would allow lawmakers and the public to pinpoint who proposed amendments and pushed for specific realignments in the budget bill.

“Ang bicam, dapat lagyan ng minutes, naka-record ang transcript. Ito lang ang bicam sa lahat ng measure na walang transcript,” he said on DZMM radio. “Kailangan may minutes yan para maliwanag sino nag-initiate ng amendment at sino nagtulak ng realignment.”

The senator added that the Senate plans to invite budget advocacy groups, including the People’s Budget Coalition, to observe the bicameral proceedings this year as additional watchdogs against dubious realignments.

Saying that vigilance alone may not deter lawmakers from inserting questionable allocations, Lacson urged civil society groups to take stronger action.

“Panawagan ko nga vigilance is not enough. Panawagan ko sa kanila baka pwede na sila mag resort sa shaming para pwedeng tablan ng hiya ang iba,” Lacson said.

Among the transparency measures implemented during deliberations on the 2026 national budget was identifying senators who proposed amendments and publishing the proceedings on the Senate website.

In a separate radio interview last Thursday, Lacson also questioned the coordinates of certain infrastructure projects in the proposed 2027 budget that were flagged by budget advocacy groups.

He cited a project whose geotagged coordinates reportedly pointed to the Celebes Sea, asserting that the discrepancy could not be brushed off as a simple typographical error.

“Hindi ito typo error kasi naka-geotag, dapat pinpointed talaga. Yun ang gamit nga ng geotagging, na kung saan madaling hanapin yung project at madaling ma-inspect para pag yung quality control nila, madaling malaman kung talaga nagawa yung proyekto,” he said.

Lacson added that the questionable coordinates appeared deliberate rather than accidental.

“Hindi oversight ito. Medyo obvious na deliberate,” he said in a separate interview on another radio station.

Meanwhile, Lacson affirmed that he and his fellow senators would comply with the project funding requirements set by newly appointed Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Giovanni Lopez, including the submission of programs of work, feasibility studies, and geotagging information.

He also underscored the necessity of retaining the Unified Account Code Structure (UACS) throughout the legislative process to maintain project traceability.

“Ang masama, pagka binabalangkas sa GAB at saka sa Senate, nabubura yung UACS,” Lacson said, referring to the loss of critical project identifiers as the budget moves through Congress.