MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Monday warned against money-laced lobbying in the 2027 budget process, saying government agencies must justify their funding requests rather than resort to questionable offers as Congress scrutinizes the proposed spending plan.
Lacson said agencies whose proposed budgets were reduced in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) could appeal to the House of Representatives and the Senate for funding restoration, provided they could justify their requests.
He said the Senate would continue scrutinizing the proposed budget with the help of budget advocates and civil society groups.
The senator also called for greater transparency throughout the budget process, including keeping livestream cameras running even during suspended deliberations, particularly at the bicameral conference committee level.
“We must sustain the practice of transparency in the budget,” Lacson said in a radio interview.
He warned against excessive reliance on financial assistance programs, including the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients and the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation, citing accounts of beneficiaries allegedly spending the money on shopping and gambling.
He said that the country's projected budget deficit of P1.695 trillion and projected national debt ballooning to P21.48 trillion in 2027 could leave the Philippines sinking further into debt.
The senator also cited the projected gross borrowings of P3.043 trillion in 2027 for principal and interest payments.
Lacson said the Senate's plan to slash P2 billion from its budget under the NEP to set an example of fiscal discipline could free up funds for realignment to education, health or other more productive endeavors, which would benefit Filipinos in the medium and long terms.
“If we don't invest in productive endeavors, we won't benefit in the long run. We will instead continue to sink deeper in debt,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lacson said the alleged P5-million “allocation fund” offer linked to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority was becoming “curiouser and curiouser,” questioning why the agency had not categorically denied that a staff member identified as “Stephanie” worked there.
TESDA Secretary Jose Francisco Benitez had denied authorizing anyone to offer Lacson an allocation.
“I am willing to give TESDA Sec. Benitez the benefit of the doubt after he immediately denied authorizing anyone to make the offer, and thanked me for bringing up the matter. But I am not quite convinced,” Lacson said.
“It is much simpler to say they had no such staff, to convince us that someone was using his name. But to my knowledge, there was no such denial,” he added.
