Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Thursday, September 17, that he remains firm in his long-standing opposition to corruption and will continue scrutinizing alleged irregularities in government spending and infrastructure projects.
Lacson said his stance has remained consistent throughout his public service, including his current efforts to examine questionable allocations in the proposed 2027 national budget and alleged anomalies involving “ghost” flood control and other infrastructure projects.
“Mula law enforcement hanggang Senado, napakababa ng tolerance ko sa mga corrupt. I am always consistent in this regard. Talagang hindi ko sila tatantanan,” Lacson said in a social media post.
Lacson recalled that during his law enforcement career from 1971 to 2001, he pursued criminals and police officers involved in corruption, including those accused of “kotong (mulcting)” motorists and other individuals.
Since entering the Senate in 2001, he said he has continued to expose alleged irregularities while pushing for safeguards against the return of “pork barrel” in various forms.
In August, Lacson questioned several lump-sum allocations included in the proposed 2027 national budget. Among those he flagged was a ₱180-million allocation for evacuation centers in each of the country’s 17 regions, amounting to ₱3.06 billion in total.
He also raised questions over changing spending targets for the Universal Health Care (UHC) Program, noting that actual expenditures did not always correspond with the stated targets. He cited successive UHC financing plans adopted by the Department of Health in 2022.
Lacson had previously used privilege speeches to raise allegations of corruption involving flood control projects, including those in Bulacan and Mindoro. He also presided over Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings examining the projects.
Evidence gathered during those hearings was subsequently provided by Lacson and his team to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice.
More recently, Lacson and his staff submitted at least 45 case studies to the Ombudsman concerning alleged “systemic anomalies” in flood control projects in Taguig City. The cases were supported by official documents.
Taguig is the political bailiwick of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, who recently criticized Lacson’s anti-corruption campaign in a social media livestream.
Cayetano accused Lacson of pursuing what he called a “so-called” anti-corruption campaign that, according to him, could empower those behind the alleged irregularities while suppressing dissenting voices.
The minority leader also said he would not be intimidated by the accusations or the ongoing political dispute.
“All you have done is to try to silence the few voices still standing for the country, the Constitution, and democracy,” Cayetano said.
“You can bully and silence some, but not all of us,” he added.
The exchange comes as Lacson continues to scrutinize proposed government spending and alleged irregularities in infrastructure projects, while the Senate remains engaged in broader investigations into alleged corruption involving public funds.