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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Lacson: Too early to brand insertion claims as 'hearsay', calls for inter-agency probe

Lacson: Too early to brand insertion claims as 'hearsay', calls for inter-agency probe

Published Dec 26, 2025 12:11 pm
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said on Friday, Dec. 26, that it's too early for Malacañang to brand claims related to multibillion-peso budget insertions as "hearsay", as he called for a genuine inter-agency investigation into claims linking Cabinet officials to the issue.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson (Senate PRIB photo)
Sen. Panfilo Lacson (Senate PRIB photo)
He warned that prematurely dismissing them risks fostering the perception of a "cover-up".
Lacson stated this after significant evidence had been unearthed, mainly from hearings of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which he chairs. The alleged insertions are related to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) infrastructure projects.
"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.
He was referring to Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro's dismissal of the allegations that some Cabinet secretaries were among proponents of infrastructure budget insertions in 2025 as "hearsay" that have "no probative value".
Castro added that the Palace would only respond to documents authenticated by the DPWH.
Lacson noted that the evidence generated by the Blue Ribbon Committee hearings includes "testimonies, supported by official documents in the budget books like lists of items that corroborate the testimonies of resource persons whose involvement in the plunder of public funds has been clearly established through their admission against interest and under oath at that".
Also, he cited the possible discovery of the “web of accounts” that would lead to the movements of funds as initiated by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
Lacson said the government cannot afford to ignore and risk fueling public indignation over the extent of corruption in anomalous 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.

Related Tags

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo \"Ping\" Lacson Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Malacañang Senate Blue Ribbon Committee
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