Lacson details P100-B budget insertions, debunks P25-B delivery claim

Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson offered new details on the money trail behind the 2025 budget insertions, clarifying claims made by former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co.

In a radio interview with DZRH, Lacson echoed statements he made during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings, noting that the deliveries were in boxes, not the suitcases depicted in Co’s viral video.

The senator emphasized that the money was never delivered to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Instead, it was distributed by former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo to Education Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar and PLLO Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin, who oversaw the allocation of the P100 billion.

Lacson said the armored vans carrying the cash were parked at the Diamond Hotel and were seen entering and exiting the premises from February to April 2024. He added that one delivery experienced a delay due to the tense political climate surrounding the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

While Co’s claim of personally delivering P25 billion was debunked, Lacson confirmed that the insertions themselves were real and provided further context on how the funds were managed.

“Navalidate namin sa GAA, nandoon talaga. Di masyadong accurate, may typo pero pareho,” he said in the radio interview, affirming that the amounts and items were largely consistent with Co’s list despite minor discrepancies.

The Senate hearings had already highlighted that almost all senators in the 19th Congress made significant insertions into the 2025 General Appropriations Act, with individual allocations ranging from several billion pesos each.

Lacson noted that while insertions themselves are legal, the process is vulnerable to misuse, allowing middle-level officials to manipulate allocations and misrepresent orders as coming from higher authorities.

By linking the evidence from the Diamond Hotel deliveries with Co’s statements, the senator underscored systemic weaknesses in the budget process while clarifying that the President was not personally involved.