Lacson: Realigned P17.9B not pork barrel, will go to uniformed personnel

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson on Wednesday denied claims that the Senate facilitated the insertion of P17.9 billion in discretionary or pork barrel funds in the proposed 2026 national budget.

Lacson said the amount cited by ACT Teachers party-list Representative Antonio Tinio was a legitimate realignment meant to increase the subsistence allowance of uniformed personnel.

"The 'Senate pork' referred to by Rep. Tinio are actually realignments to increase the subsistence allowance of the uniformed personnel from the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and Bureau of Fire Protection and also the Philippine Coast Guard," Lacson said.

Tinio earlier said the Senate version of next year's budget had "massive cuts" to the benefits of rank-and-file government employees, so that discretionary funds of local government units (LGUs) would be hiked by P17.9 billion.

However, Lacson said Tinio's claim showed either poor research or a deliberate attempt to divert attention from issues surrounding the House version of the 2026 budget.

"Rep. Tinio is either too lazy to do his research, or he is malevolently destabilizing the Senate to take the heat off the House of Representatives," Lacson said.

In a statement on Tuesday, Tinio said the Senate reduced the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF) by P55 billion, leaving it with P56.5 billion from P111.5 billion in the 2026 National Expenditure Program. He said this was unchanged in the House version.

Although subsistence allowances were transferred to specific agencies, Tinio said, billions were supposedly cut from the Performance-Based Bonus (PBB), staffing modifications, and funds for filling unfilled positions.

"The Senate bloated the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) by a net P17.9 billion, nearly doubling the House allocation to a total of P38.1 billion. This massive increase is driven by a P7.6 billion injection into the highly discretionary Financial Assistance to LGUs (FALGU), bringing its total to P16.7 billion, effectively creating a massive slush fund for local patronage under the guise of aid," the party-list lawmaker's statement read.

For uniformed personnel

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, however, Lacson rejected Tinio's claim of the LGU pork that was taken from benefits of rank-and-file government employees.

"Gusto kong i-clarify mali ang sinasabi niya. Ang line na kinuha sa MPBF o Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund, realign talaga 'yan pero sa additional subsistence allowance ng uniformed personnel," Lacson said.

(I want to clarify that what he is saying is wrong. The amount taken from the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund was indeed realigned, but it went to the additional subsistence allowance of uniformed personnel.)

Lacson stressed that the amendment was institutional, with no individual senator standing to gain.

"Paano magiging pork 'yun (How can that be considered pork)?" he said.

GMA News Online has requested comment from Tinio, but he has yet to respond as of posting time.

Nothing to hide

Amid the budget controversy, Lacson emphasized that all Senate amendments were proposed openly during plenary deliberations and are part of the official record.

"Lahat ng aming amendments, ginawa namin sa floor. Walang tago," Lacson said.

(All our amendments were made on the Senate floor. Nothing was hidden.)

He urged the public and the media to remain vigilant, noting that bicameral conference committee proceedings are now livestreamed.

Lacson also said the Senate remains hopeful that outstanding issues will be resolved to avoid a reenacted budget in early 2026, but stressed that some safeguards remain non-negotiable. 

MAIFIP, FMRs flagged

Meanwhile, Lacson reiterated that he would refuse to sign the bicameral conference committee report on the 2026 budget unless contentious provisions are corrected, particularly those involving the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program and farm-to-market road (FMR) allocations.

The House panel has proposed increasing the MAIFIP budget to P51 billion, which Lacson said must come with safeguards to prevent political patronage.

"Kailangan absolutely walang guarantee letter," Lacson said.

(There must absolutely be no guarantee letters.)

He said MAIFIP funds should instead be integrated into the Universal Health Care (UHC) program.

"Kung ano man 'yung amount, kailangan ma-subsume ito under the Universal Healthcare Program kasi ang laki ng funding gap sa UHC," Lacson said.

(Whatever the amount, it should be subsumed under the Universal Health Care Program because of the large funding gap in UHC.)

Lacson warned that guarantee letters promote patronage politics.

He then suggested automatically qualifying beneficiaries under the 4Ps program, noting that they are already verified as indigent, and allowing coverage in private hospitals to address capacity issues in public facilities. — VDV, GMA Integrated News