Broadcaster Anthony Taberna has released a list of senators from the 19th Congress who allegedly had “insertions” in the drafting of the 2025 national budget.
In a Facebook Live broadcast on Sunday, October 5, Taberna disclosed the names following online criticism he received after claiming that Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros had ₱3 billion worth of “insertions,” even though she was one of only two senators who voted against the budget.
Based on the list presented by Taberna, former Senator Grace Poe, who chaired the Senate Committee on Finance at the time, allegedly had the largest amount at ₱11.414 billion, followed by former Senator Francis Tolentino and Senator Imee Marcos.
The senators included in Taberna’s list are as follows:
- Former Senator Grace Poe – ₱11.414 billion
- Former Senator Francis Tolentino – ₱6.3 billion
- Senator Imee Marcos – ₱5.913 billion
- Senator Raffy Tulfo – ₱5.181 billion
- Senator Lito Lapid – ₱4.76 billion
- Former Senator Cynthia Villar – ₱4.368 billion
- Former Senator and now Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay – ₱4.187 billion
- Senator Pia Cayetano – ₱4.139 billion
- Senator JV Ejercito – ₱3.831 billion
- Former Senator Koko Pimentel – ₱3.788 billion
- Senator Win Gatchalian – ₱3.756 billion
- Senator Bong Go – ₱3.647 billion
- Senator Mark Villar – ₱3.639 billion
- Senator Risa Hontiveros – ₱3.036 billion
- Senator Migz Zubiri – ₱2.095 billion
Taberna clarified, however, that it remains uncertain whether the list represented “insertions” or “amendments,” citing that the source who provided the data requested anonymity.
It can be recalled that Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson had previously claimed that nearly all senators from the 19th Congress had budget insertions amounting to approximately ₱100 billion in total.