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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Lacson: Evidence in VP Sara's trial can still be tackled during Senate's budget deliberations

Lacson: Evidence in VP Sara's trial can still be tackled during Senate's budget deliberations

Published Jul 27, 2025 02:36 pm

At A Glance

  • Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said the senators can raise the controversy surrounding the use of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) when they scrutinize the proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd) for next year.


Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Sunday, July 27 said he is confident there are still other venues where senators can inquire about the evidence in the impeachment case filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.

SENATOR PANFILO M. LACSON
SENATOR PANFILO M. LACSON

One such forum to take up the controversy surrounding Duterte’s use of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) would be during the upcoming budget deliberation on the proposed 2026 national budget.

Lacson said the senators can raise the issue when they scrutinize the budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd) for next year.

“There are many fora where the public will know what happened to the CIF. One is the budget deliberations of agencies like the OVP and DepEd. I will be actively asking questions,” Lacson said in an interview on DZBB radio.

“We can ask questions on the issue during the budget deliberations,” he pointed out.

Lacson made the remark in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling declaring the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte as unconstitutional.

The Court ruled that the Senate cannot act on the Articles of Impeachment, primarily because the one-year ban was violated.

Lacson, who has a habit of reviewing past national budgets thoroughly, said it is possible to establish a pattern on how funds were used.

Another alternative is for the Senate or House of Representatives to file a resolution seeking an inquiry in aid of legislation on the use of CIF in agencies other than those involved in law enforcement.

Lacson, a former national police chief, maintained that intelligence funds should be given only to the line agencies involved in intelligence work since they have the needed training to use them.

He also said the rule of law must be considered by the Senate in deciding whether to push through with the impeachment trial.

“This is my opinion - if we decide to push through with the trial, the rule of law might be the casualty because we 'defied' the Supreme Court, which is the final arbiter and interpreter of our Constitution and other legal issues,” he said.

“We may disagree with the Supreme Court all we want but the bottom line is we should comply with it because our situation may become chaotic if we don't,” the lawmaker stressed.

Related Tags

ping lacson 2026 national budget OVP budget DepEd impeachment trial
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