Lacson bares P51.82-billion 'vague, distinct' insertions in 2026 NEP

Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson flagged at least P51.82 billion worth of "vague" and "distinct" insertions in the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

In a radio interview on Tuesday, Lacson said these questionable allocations are being targeted for realignment to programs that are consistent with the Philippine Medium-Term Development Plan.

The flagged items are for flood management programs for Metro Manila and Regions I (Ilocos), II (Cagayan Valley), and III (Central Luzon), Lacson said. 

Lacson said he and Senate finance committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian have decided to remove funding for these questionable projects. 

"Sen. Gatchalian and I want to remove these vague entries in the NEP. It seems those who inserted these items plan to make them ghost projects. We could not identify who inserted them," Lacson said in Filipino. 

"When we amend the budget bill, we intend to realign these items to those in accordance with the Philippine Medium-Term Development Plan and in coordination and consultation with the Department of Budget and Management and Department of Public Works and Highways so our amendments will be aligned with the direction that the national government wants to take. Our plan is to remove these items because they are too vague," he added.

At the briefing of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC), Lacson said these include:

• 88 items with P150 million funding each, totaling P13.2 billion; 
• 373 items with P100 million funding each, totaling P37.3 billion; and 
• 11 items with P120 million funding each, totaling P1.32 billion

Lacson also proposed an executive session so the senators would know where to redirect the funds. 

'Invasion'

In the budget hearing, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said she would coordinate with DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon on the matter.

"When contractors invade Congress and lawmakers invade the construction business, this is the outcome. The DPWH allows them to make insertions in the NEP," Lacson said.

Lacson suggested that the DBM and Malacañang should quiz the DPWH, noting that a representative of the DPWH had allegedly called legislators to insert items into the NEP.

He cited the experience of Senate minority leader Vicente Sotto III, whose staff was supposedly called by a DPWH representative to insert items into the NEP.

"The caller was identified. The caller told Sotto's staff to propose items for insertion in the NEP but Sotto refused," Lacson said.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. had said that even the 2026 NEP allegedly contains questionable allocations that need to be properly addressed.

Finished, but funded

House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno has said several items in the 2026 NEP contained allocations for projects that have been finished already.

Last Friday, Puno said he was informed by Marikina City Rep. Marcelino Teodoro that completed flood control projects in Marikina are still funded under next year's proposed budget as if they were not yet finished. 

"The best example was the case of Congressman Marcy Teodoro wherein he said he would have to return the flood-control budget in his district because all those listed projects funded in the 2026 budget are already finished," Puno said.

"I don't know all the districts in the same situation, but I know that Congressman Teodoro's district is not the only case," Puno said.

Flagging the DBM

Puno, the chairman of the National Unity Party (NUP), then said that he already discussed this problem with his fellow political party leaders and that they came up with a possible solution. 

"I will leave it to the chairman of [the House] appropriations [committee] to tell you the specific solutions," Puno said. The appropriations panel is currently chaired by Nueva Ecija Representative Mikaela Suansing.

However, Puno said the Department of Budget and Management should have already suspected proposed DPWH projects given the uniform project costs, including at least 10 projects all costing P73 million each, and another 10 projects costing P93 million each.

"Anong kailangan tinapos mo para makita mo na medyo suspicious 'yan, hindi ba?" Puno asked.

(What college degree should you have earned to discern that such allocations are suspicious?) 

Unfunded projects

Meanwhile, Puno also said hundreds of millions of multi-year infrastructure projects, including flood control projects, are unfunded under the P880-billion proposed DPWH budget in 2026.

"In my district and many other districts I have seen, these [unfunded projects] are part of a series of projects from a master plan. It's worth hundreds of millions, depending on which congressional district. In my district, there are about P300 million to P400 million worth of multi-year flood control projects [that are unfunded]. Then there is a project which was replaced by another project of a higher amount, and I don't know where that project came from," said Puno, who serves as representative of Antipolo City's first district.

"That's the problem. Lahat ng flood projects doon, [para] sa baha roon sa Mayamot, Munting Dilaw, at saka Mambugan...lahat ng projects roon, nawala [sa 2026 budget]. Eh, priority namin 'yan eh. Eh continuing program 'yan eh," Puno added.

(That's the problem. All the funding for flood control projects in Mayamot, Munting Dilaw, Mambugan, it's all gone. And those are priority projects in our area and continuing a continuing program.)

A continuing program means the project will be constructed in phases in multiple years.

In flood control projects, Puno said those located beside the river are prioritized.

"The projects in our area are already on second stage. Ngayon, nawala lahat na mga aming sinet-up sa Mayamot, eh. Kaya, kawawa ka. Nakatira ka sa mga Kingsville, alam mo 'yung mga gan'un. Hanggang ngayon, lubog 'yan eh," Puno said.

(It is all gone. So if you live there, tough luck. In Kingsville, it is always submerged when it rains.)

Puno then said his situation is not an isolated case.

"We are 44 in NUP, and those who did not have the same concern are less than 10 [House members]," Puno added. — with a report from Llanesca T. Panti/ VDV, GMA Integrated News