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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Lacson gives 'two thumbs up' to Senate panel as 2026 budget bicam concludes

Lacson gives 'two thumbs up' to Senate panel as 2026 budget bicam concludes

Published Dec 18, 2025 01:49 pm

At A Glance

  • Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson hailed the Gatchalian-led Senate panel to the bicam, as he cited the presence of safeguards in the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). He called for continued vigilance against abuse of public funds.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Thursday, Dec. 18, extolled the efforts the Senate panel that participated in the Bicameral Conference Committee deliberations on the proposed ₱6.793-trillion national budget for 2026.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson (Facebook)
In a statement, Lacson praised its the Senate panel's leadership for ensuring the presence of safeguards in the P6.793-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2026.
“Amid all the disinformation and unreasonable criticisms, we have all the reasons to be proud of our Senate panel under the leadership of our Finance Chairman, Sen Sherwin Gatchalian. I give my two thumbs up from start to finish,” Lacson said.
Lacson stated that the Senate ensured the inclusion of safeguards in both the General and Special Provisions of the 2026 GAB. He expressed confidence that these were included during the bicam deliberations.
“We inserted safeguards in the General and Special provisions in the 2026 General Appropriations Act, and I trust that Senator Gatchalian has insisted in those safeguards,” he said.
Among these safeguards according to Lacson is the prohibition of guarantee letters and any form of “epal” in all “ayudas", as well as the strict implementation of the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) under the Universal Health Care (UHC) program and in pursuit of UHC law compliance.
He also emphasized the need for monthly oversight of infrastructure and farm-to-market road (FMR) projects, including the use of grid coordinates to facilitate easier monitoring by the media and the public.
Lacson acknowledged the limitations faced during the budget process, and noted that ideal outcomes were not always attainable.
“We do not live in a perfect world, much less in an ideal situation, so we cannot be perfectionists and idealistic, given the circumstances,” he said.
“That’s why adjustments must be made both ways. As long as we all remain vigilant in guarding against abuse of public funds, we can always remain hopeful that things can change for the better,” he added.
The Senate panel, led by Gatchalian, concluded the bicam discussions with their counterparts from the House of Representatives in the early hours of Thursday after reconciling the differing provisions of the Senate and House versions of the GAB.
This year's bicam was the first ever to be conducted under a transparency initiative, with deliberations documented and made accessible to the public via livestreaming. The Senate panel was composed of Gatchalian and Senators Erwin Tulfo, Imee Marcos, Loren Legarda, and Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan.

Related Tags

ping lacson General Appropriations Act (GAA) bicameral conference committee Sherwin Gatchalian
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