Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has vowed to scrutinize questionable realignments in the 2026 budget, involving around P255.5 billion from the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) flood control funds.
Lacson said the funds were diverted to farm-to-market roads, ayuda programs, and Super Health Centers under the Health Facility Enhancement Program.
“Much of the realignments went to farm-to-market roads. The question is, is the list of such roads from the Department of Agriculture or from congressmen?” he asked.
He also questioned ayuda projects funded by unprogrammed appropriations, saying these should be returned to the regular budget.
Lacson plans to consolidate social aid under the 4Ps program and divert the P2 billion “Tulong Dunong” scholarship fund of legislators to the Free Tertiary Education Act.
The Senate, he added, will remove “alien” and “turo-turo” items—budget entries not part of official versions or based on whim and patronage—from the budget. These will instead be realigned to Universal Health Care (UHC) and other meaningful programs.
Lacson said he and Senator Sherwin Gatchalian are working to merge medical aid funds under the DOH’s UHC, to end the practice of lawmakers issuing guarantee letters to patients.
“Our work as lawmakers is to legislate and exercise oversight, not to implement laws,” he said. “Let’s make our programs systematic, and not whimsical, arbitrary and patronage-based.”IMT
