Sen. Ping Lacson Claims Seeing List of Senators w/ Budget Insertions in the 19th Congress
PING LACSON – The Senator reacted to the alleged P100-billion budget insertions of ‘almost all senators’ in the 2025 budget.
The Senate had a shakeup amid the flood control mess in the Philippines after some senators are faced with accusations of alleged involvement. Sen. Chiz Escudero was ousted and replaced by now-Senate Pres. Tito Sotto. Escudero was first tagged in the issue after he admitted of receiving a P30-million campaign donation from one of the contractors flagged by President Bongbong Marcos.
The contractor linked to Sen. Chiz Escudero claimed that the P30-million campaign donation was allegedly his own money and did not come from the Centerways Construction. The Senate President Pro Tempore also had a change — from Sen. Jinggoy Estrada who was accused by former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineer Brice Hernandez of allegedly receiving kickback from the flood control deals to Sen. Ping Lacson.
Aside from being the Senate President Pro Tempore, Lacson is also the current chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. The upper chamber continues its investigation on the flood control mess despite the formation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) which was created to investigate the issue.
Amid the issue, Sen. Ping Lacson dismissed the rumors and speculations that there might be another Senate leadership change. The upper chamber has invited several contractors and former DPWH officials in the Senate flood probe.
Currently, several senators are accused of alleged involvement in the flood control mess — senators Chiz Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, and Joel Villanueva. Former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo has spoken in the latest Senate flood probe and pinned down Escudero.
Recently, Sen. Ping Lacson spoke on the budget insertions of the senators in the 2025 budget. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman claimed that ‘almost all senators’ in the 19th Congress had at least P100 billion budget insertions.
“Senate pa lang ito, hindi pa natatapos kasi mayroon din akong nakita doon na listahan ng mga congressmen, hindi lamang NEP yung kabuuan, eh sa senate pa lang at least P100 billion, nagulat nga ako sa individual insertions ito ah, ito yung naka FLR (for later release) ngayon,” the Senator told DZMM Teleradyo.
Based on the report, Sen. Ping Lacson stressed that he has never seen such alleged huge budget insertion. According to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman, then when the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) was yet to be declared unconstitutional, the budget insertions were supposedly around hundreds of millions.
“Pagkalalaki, never pa ako nakakita, kasi nung araw, na hindi pa nade-declare na unconstitutional yung PDAF, nandoon lang sa hundreds of millions eh, eh ngayon ang nakita ko, total, kabuuan, at least a hundred billion,” the Senator said.
Lacson stressed that he has yet to see the budget insertions of the members of the House of Representatives. Amid the ongoing Senate flood probe, Sen. Ping Lacson said that a background check is underway over Sen. Rodante Marcoleta’s “totally surprise witness” Orly Guteza.