Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson announced that the Senate will rigorously examine questionable provisions within the proposed 2027 national budget, warning that no one will receive special treatment—including lawmakers allied with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Lacson noted that the Senate majority bloc stands firmly united behind Senate Senior Majority Leader JV Ejercito, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, to tackle red flags found in the House-approved General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
”No one will be spared scrutiny in the Senate’s review of the proposed 2027 national budget, not even lawmakers close to the President, as senators adopt a ‘gung-ho’ stance in correcting questionable allocations,” Lacson stated.
Elaborating on the chamber’s mindset during a television interview with One News, he emphasized a zero-tolerance approach toward selective leniency:
”Ang attitude namin sa ngayon, gung-ho. Kung masagasaan, masagasaan. Kung magbigay ng exceptions to the rule minsan ang exceptions ang nagiging general rule,” he said.
When questioned about whether the Senate would review the substantial public works funding increase allocated to the congressional district of presidential son and Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos, Lacson answered directly:
”Yes, absolutely.”
Lacson cautioned that granting exceptions could set a dangerous precedent, opening the floodgates to lobbying and compromising fiscal transparency:
”Kasi pag nagkaroon tayo ng exception to the rules maraming hihingi ng exceptions. Tapos di yan mag-succeed kasi diyan nagsisimula. Pag may tinitingnan at di tinitingnan diyan magsisimula ang pagba-bargain,” he explained.
The Senate is set to resume plenary sessions on November 9 to begin official debates on the financial plan. Lacson confirmed that he has already submitted his subcommittee reports, which are currently being reviewed by the Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO).
He expects the evaluation to conclude prior to plenary deliberations, enabling senators to propose amendments and trim down bloated items from the House version:
”Para pagdating sa plenary nakakamada na yan at dun kami mag introduce ng amendments. At pwede naming kaltasin ang lumobo sa HGAB,” Lacson added.
Furthermore, Lacson expressed optimism that members of the Senate majority will refrain from inserting personal pet projects or district-specific allocations into the spending bill, noting that he senses a strong shared commitment to fiscal discipline among his colleagues.