Lacson vows to keep close eye on national budget
Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has vowed to actively call out “pork barrel” and other irregularities in the national budget, including the one proposed for 2026, whether he belongs to the majority or minority bloc in the Senate.
Lacson, who has earned a reputation as a watchdog of the country’s budget, said he intends to participate actively in committee hearings and plenary debates on the spending bill.
Earlier, he called out the request of the Department of Public Works and Highways for right-of-way payments when it still had billions in unspent funds for the purpose.
Lacson said he plans to grill the officials concerned about the flood projects worth P10 billion allocated for a small town in Oriental Mindoro and P1.9 billion for a small barangay in the same province.
Oriental Mindoro is among the areas reportedly affected by floods brought by Severe Tropical Storm “Crising” (international name: Wipha) and the southwest monsoon (“habagat”).
“For me, it’s enough to put those concerned on notice that someone is watching and studying the relevant data,” he added.
Earlier, he refiled his bill allowing the participation of civil society groups in the deliberations on the budget, including the bicameral conference committee.
“It’s about time we wake up and watch over the budget because it is the lifeline of our economy, if not the country itself,” Lacson said.
