(UPDATE) SEN. Panfilo Lacson on Saturday warned that senators, along with members of the House of Representatives, may be complicit in the ongoing controversy involving anomalous and ghost flood control projects, and reiterated his call for complete transparency in the national budgeting process.
In separate interviews with dzRH and dzMM, Lacson emphasized that lawmakers from both chambers routinely propose budget amendments or “insertions” — a practice that, while technically legal, can be exploited to channel funds to questionable infrastructure projects.
“I’m not saying it’s only House members,” Lacson said in Filipino. “It’s possible that some senators have inserted funding for such projects and even profited from the 25 percent share typically given to the ‘funder’ or proponent.”
Lacson, a longtime advocate for budget transparency, refrained from naming specific individuals, stressing the importance of solid evidence.
“It’s not right to name names without proof,” he said. “In my case, I only make findings public once they are backed by factual and verifiable information.”
Get the latest news
delivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
The senator also revealed that proponents of budget insertions — often for infrastructure such as flood control — may exercise influence over project implementation, including the selection of contractors.
“When you insert, you have a claim, a royalty, or the right to choose the contractor,” he said. “That’s why transparency is so important.”
Advertisement
Lacson has repeatedly called for legislative reforms requiring all budget insertions to be publicly documented, with lawmakers’ names attached to their proposed amendments.
Such a move, he said, would empower citizens to trace public funds and help deter corrupt practices.
“It will be easier to trace anomalous or ghost projects back to the congressman or senator who proposed them,” Lacson said. “Otherwise, without transparency, the hubris of those behind systemic corruption will only continue.”
He cited the First Engineering District in Bulacan as an example of what he described as organized corruption, where ghost projects were used to funnel public funds into private pockets with little to no accountability.
Advertisement
“It’s hubris,” Lacson said. “They have become so overconfident that they disregard public perception, ignore accountability, and choose greed over service. That’s how ghost projects flourish — because everyone involved stands to profit.”
The senator also encouraged citizens to be more proactive, urging them to report anomalies through official channels such as the SumbongSaPangulo website.
He expressed hope that heightened public awareness and vigilance would lead to real consequences.
“I hope that the endgame results in the big fish being held accountable — charged, prosecuted, convicted, and jailed — so they are no longer emulated,” Lacson said. “As long as the system is exploited with impunity, others will follow their bad example.”
Advertisement
Lacson delivered a privilege speech on Aug. 20 that reignited national attention on the issue.
Since then, calls have mounted for more rigorous investigations into both executive agencies and legislators allegedly involved in the scandal.
No to ‘experiment’
Meanwhile, House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila De Lima criticized Lacson’s suggestion to adopt the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) without changes by both the House of Representatives and Senate, saying that his suggestion will not address the problem and could also set a “dangerous precedent.”
Advertisement
Lacson, in an interview on Friday, said he believes that his “experiment” could break the cycle of post-submission amendments that opens the door to alleged pork barrel practices and corruption.
But de Lima rejected the suggestion.
“We cannot force into an experiment the money of the people. Congress has the power of the purse; if we don’t scrutinize the budget proposal, we have abandoned our constitutional duty and our duty to our people,” de Lima said in a statement on Saturday.
She said that instead of approving the budget bill without any changes, she called on Congress to “thoroughly” scrutinize the budget and hold those involved in anomalous projects accountable.
Advertisement
“Let’s safeguard our nation’s coffers — from the budget proposal to the deliberations and passage in Congress, including the deliberations at the BiCam level, up to the implementation by government agencies,” de Lima said.
Meanwhile, House Public Accounts committee chairman and Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said that corruption can happen whether there are NEP-originated or congressional initiative-originated projects.
“Adopting the NEP without amendments is no silver bullet against corruption, and it is essentially a surrender by the House and the Senate of the power of the purse,” Ridon told The Manila Times in a message.
He added that the NEP might not be able to “fully reflect” the actual and legitimate needs of various constituencies, and that only the House and the Senate can address these needs through the budget amendments.
Advertisement
Vice mayors campaign
Also on Saturday, more than 60 vice mayors joined the call for transparency and accountability in flood control projects, following the earlier move of 52 mayors and other local officials under the Mayors for Good Governance (M4GG).
As of Aug. 23, Saturday, the Vice Mayors for Good Governance (VMGG) had gathered over 60 signatories nationwide, saying corruption, substandard works, and manipulated procurement have turned projects meant to protect lives into “vehicles for profiteering.”
“We join President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in condemning the misuse of public funds, substandard construction, and the manipulation of procurement processes that undermine the very purpose of these projects,” the group said in a statement.
They stressed that every peso lost to corruption meant “a life put at risk, a home left unprotected, and a community condemned to repeated suffering from floods.”
The vice mayors called for full disclosure of budgets, contractors and technical plans, saying citizens deserve to know how their money is being spent.
The VMGG pressed the Ombudsman and other investigative agencies to pursue cases against politicians, contractors and DPWH officials proven to have engaged in anomalies.
“Corruption in disaster resilience projects is not just theft — it is a crime against public safety and endangers the lives of millions of ordinary Filipinos,” the group said.
“The VMGG stands firm: flood control projects are lifelines, not profit streams,” the statement added.
