Metro Manila, Philippines – Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson urged Malacañang to allow a “genuine” inter-agency investigation into allegations linking Cabinet officials to multibillion-peso budget insertions in infrastructure projects, warning that an early dismissal of the claims could be perceived by the public as a cover-up.
Lacson said it was premature for Malacañang to brand the allegations as mere hearsay, noting that evidence had already surfaced during hearings of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which he chairs.
“Instead of pursuing an honest-to-goodness inter-agency investigation by using whatever probative value was unearthed mainly from the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings, to prematurely dismiss the probable involvement of some members of the Cabinet as ‘hearsay’ may be interpreted as a euphemism for ‘cover-up,’” Lacson said on Friday.
He was responding to remarks by Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro, who earlier dismissed the allegations that Cabinet secretaries were proponents of infrastructure budget insertions for 2025 as hearsay with “no probative value.”
Castro said the Palace would only respond to documents authenticated by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Lacson said evidence generated from the Blue Ribbon hearings included testimonies supported by official budget documents, such as lists of projects that corroborated sworn statements of resource persons. He added that some of these witnesses had admitted, under oath, of their involvement in the alleged plunder of public funds.
He also pointed to the possible discovery of a “web of accounts” tracing the movement of funds, following actions initiated by the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
Lacson warned that ignoring the allegations could further inflame public anger over corruption tied to failed and ghost infrastructure projects.
“In the final analysis, we cannot blame the public, led by the Catholic Church, other religious sectors and civil groups for their unrelenting display of anger and distrust in government,” he said.
The statement followed allegations by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, who claimed some Cabinet secretaries and senior officials were listed as proponents of DPWH budget insertions. Leviste said the documents were given to him on Sept. 4 by the late DPWH undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral.
In an interview on The Newsmaker, Leviste said the files suggested that not only lawmakers but also officials outside Congress were linked to project insertions.
“Meron din mga opisyal sa labas ng Kongreso at Senado na may mga insertions din ayon sa listahang ito. Kabilang po dito ang mga Cabinet secretaries and undersecretaries,” Leviste said.
[Translation: There are also officials outside Congress and the Senate who have insertions according to this list. This includes Cabinet secretaries and undersecretaries.]
He added that these officials had no direct role in the DPWH.
“Kaya yun po sa tingin ko ang glaring takeaway sa file na ito — parang naging compensation ang DPWH insertions para sa mga kawani ng gobyerno na wala namang business proposing projects sa DPWH budget,” Leviste said.
[Translation: So, for me, the glaring takeaway from this file is that the DPWH insertions seem to have become a form of compensation for government employees who have no business proposing projects in the DPWH budget.]
When asked if some of those named were still serving in the Cabinet, Leviste replied, “Yes, marami po,” [Translation: Yes, there are many.]
