Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday asserted that former House Speaker Martin Romualdez squandered multiple opportunities to formally address his alleged role in the controversial 2025 national budget revisions.
Lacson, who chairs the powerful Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, revealed that the panel extended at least two formal invitations for the Leyte 1st District Representative to testify under oath. Despite these reaching his office through current Speaker Faustino Dy III, Romualdez declined to appear.
In a social media post, Lacson emphasized that the hearings were the proper venue for the former Speaker to defend himself against claims that he orchestrated the “mangling beyond recognition” of the budget during the bicameral conference.
“The blue ribbon committee gave the former Speaker at least two chances through official invitations to testify under oath and public scrutiny to what may be his strong argument against allegations of masterminding the ‘mangling beyond recognition’ of the 2025 national budget during the bicameral conference,” Lacson stated.
Shifting the Blame
According to Lacson, rather than facing the committee, Romualdez pointed to other figures as the architects of the changes: Senator Chiz Escudero, a former Senate President, and former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co, who previously chaired the House Committee on Appropriations.
Romualdez broke his silence in a video statement released Tuesday, categorically denying any hand in the budget’s final form.
He maintained that he was not a member of the bicameral conference committee nor the “small committee” tasked with finalizing the General Appropriations Act.
Calls for Structural Reform
The controversy has reignited Lacson’s long-standing crusade for transparency in the legislative process. The Blue Ribbon chief is now pushing for a total overhaul of how the country’s money is allocated, including:
- Mandatory Digital Transparency: Requiring all budget documents to be released publicly online.
- Abolishing “Small Committees”: Dismantling the informal groups that critics argue allow lawmakers to insert last-minute, unvetted changes without proper oversight.
Lacson argued that these reforms are essential to preventing the clandestine “mangling” of public funds and restoring integrity to the national budget process.