Lacson: Budget insertion revelations a wake-up call for pork-free 2026 budget

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson on Tuesday urged his fellow lawmakers to take recent revelations about massive budget insertions as a wake-up call to push for a pork-free national budget in 2026, emphasizing that the issue transcends individual accountability and demands institutional reform.

Speaking a day after a majority caucus in the Senate, Lacson clarified that his recent exposé on questionable allocations in the 2025 national budget was never intended to single out senators or members of the House of Representatives. 

Instead, he said the focus should be on addressing public outrage over corruption and restoring trust in the legislative budget process.

“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, so 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 said.

“The overarching reason for my disclosure or revelation was to point out that we must accept the fact that we are all in crisis,” he said, referring to recent findings on substandard or even non-existent flood control projects uncovered during Blue Ribbon Committee hearings.

In a television interview, Lacson emphasized the need for the Senate to lead by example by championing transparency and fiscal responsibility in the national budgeting process. 

He warned that the continued manipulation of the budget to accommodate “pet projects” undermines development efforts and risks cutting funding from more critical, vetted infrastructure projects—especially those supported by international partners.

“Hindi ito patungkol sa tao-tao, maging senador or congressmen. Ito patungkol sa aming lahat, reminder na binabantayan tayo, mag-ingat tayo (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),” he added.

Lacson reiterated that budget insertions, if left unchecked, could compromise the economy. 

Diverting funds from well-planned, community-vetted projects, especially those requiring local counterpart funding for foreign-assisted programs, could not only stall development but also harm the Philippines' credibility with international partners.

As budget deliberations begin for fiscal year 2026, Lacson is calling on both houses of Congress to reflect on the impact of these revelations and make a collective commitment to uphold integrity, transparency, and accountability in the budgeting process.