Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and Senate Committee on Finance chair Sherwin Gatchalian vowed Tuesday to work with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to realign at least ₱51.82 billion worth of questionable “distinct” insertions under the proposed 2026 national budget.
Lacson flagged the lump-sum allocations during a briefing of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC), describing them as vague entries ripe for abuse.
He noted that several appropriations involved repeated listings for flood management programs in Metro Manila and in Regions 1 (Ilocos), 2 (Cagayan Valley), and 3 (Central Luzon)—all with identical costs but no specific project details.
“Sen. Gatchalian and I want to remove these vague entries in the NEP (National Expenditure Program). It seems those who inserted these items plan to make them ghost projects. We could not identify who inserted them,” Lacson warned.
The senator said the funds should instead be funneled to priority programs aligned with the Philippine Medium-Term Development Plan.
“When we amend the budget bill, we intend to realign these items… so our amendments will be aligned with the direction that the national government wants to take,” he said.
Among the flagged appropriations:
- 88 items worth ₱150 million each (₱13.2 billion)
- 373 items worth ₱100 million each (₱37.3 billion)
- 11 items worth ₱120 million each (₱1.32 billion)
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman agreed to coordinate with Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon on the realignment after Lacson called for executive sessions to scrutinize which projects deserve funding.
Lacson earlier blasted the so-called “distinct” entries in his August 20 privilege speech, branding them as coded signals of project ownership that open the floodgates to ghost projects.
“When contractors invade Congress and lawmakers invade the construction business, this is the outcome,” Lacson said, stressing that Filipinos face a “quadruple whammy” because such vague insertions appear in the NEP, the House and Senate versions of the budget, and again in the bicameral conference committee.