Metro Manila, Philippines – Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has flagged what he called questionable items in the executive’s proposed 2027 national budget ahead of congressional hearings, particularly a uniform ₱180-million lump-sum share for evacuation centers per region and a hefty “ayuda” or financial aid for social services.
In a press release on Tuesday, Aug. 18, Lacson shared his and his office’s initial findings on the National Expenditure Program submitted to Congress, in particular the fund for evacuation centers of more than ₱3 billion that lacked key details such as specific locations to build the facilities.
“Was there any study to determine if a region needed more evacuation centers? There seemed to be none. That is not acceptable. There were no specifications or locations. Each of Regions 1 to 17 was simply given ₱180 million for a total of more than ₱3 billion,” Lacson said.
He added that the 2027 budget “seems to be very generous” with “ayuda,” which was questioned in the past as prone to misuse and patronage politics.
“I told my staff to look closely at it and see if this could become an ‘ayuda’ budget. There’s nothing wrong with ‘ayuda’ but we should also look at the long-term development side of how the budget is used,” Lacson said.
He did not go into detail.
He said his office will continue to scrutinize the budget and block items that may be tapped for the 2028 general election campaign activities.
“It could become an election or campaign budget this early because 2027 will bring us closer to the 2028 elections,” he said.
Lacson said his staff is coordinating with civil society organizations, including the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance, to comb through the proposal.
The House of Representatives has begun deliberations on the ₱7.2-trillion budget for next year, with the Senate expected to follow suit next week.
Lacson said during the briefing with the Development Budget Coordinating Committee of the economic manager on Aug. 27, he will ask about the ₱107.4 billion for flood control projects.
“Are we following a flood management program? If not, we are just wasting money because we have no direction,” Lacson said.
In an earlier statement, Lacson lamented that the government spent ₱1.939 trillion on the Department of Public Works and Highways flood control management program from 2011 to 2025 without solving the perennial flooding.
