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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Lacson: Senate leadership must sustain transparency in national budget process

Lacson: Senate leadership must sustain transparency in national budget process

Published May 23, 2026 04:38 pm

At A Glance

  • Senator Panfilo Lacson urged the Senate's current leadership to sustain transparency measures in the national budget process ahead of the Executive's submission of the proposed 2027 budget to Congress in July.
  • Lacson praised the previous leadership of Senators Vicente Sotto III and Sherwin Gatchalian for introducing safeguards and transparency measures during deliberations on the 2026 General Appropriations Act, including the online posting of budget documents and identification of amendment proponents.
  • Lacson said the Senate should serve as a model for transparency in budget crafting, while expressing hope that current Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano would continue reforms as the Senate Finance Committee is now chaired by Mark Villar.
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson on Saturday, May 23, said that the Senate's current leadership must make sure the institution remains a model of transparency in crafting the national budget.
Lacson, a watchdog of the national coffers, said this just two months before the executive submits the proposed 2027 budget to Congress this July.
"Sa panahon ni Sen. Sherwin (Gatchalian) at saka ni Tito Sen (Sotto) as finance chairman and Senate President, papunta na kami doon. And I hope sa ilalim ng pamumuno ni Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, ma-sustain ang ganoon (Under then Senate President Vicente Sotto III and finance committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian, we were getting there in terms of budget transparency. I hope under Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, this can be sustained)," Lacson said in an interview on DZRH radio.
"Kami na maging halimbawa na parang pagdating sa pagitan ng dalawang houses, kami na yung parang pinaka-big brother na tinintigalaan nila para sa pagbalangkas man lang ng national budget, maayos (The Senate should be the example and the big brother at least in the crafting of the national budget)," he added.
He cited Gatchalian's role in placing safeguards in the crafting of the 2026 GAA. Gatchalian at that time pushed for institutional safeguards and transparency measures inserted into the budget bill.
Under Gatchalian's watch, the finance committee posted various documents related to the budget process online and sought to ensure that the proponents of insertions and other amendments to the budget bill are identified, among other measures.
The 11-member Senate minority bloc is pushing for Gatchalian as Senate President, in a bid to restore the Senate's integrity in the wake of recent developments.
"Sana ma-sustain (ang transparency sa budget) kasi pagdating ng SONA sa July 26, nandiyan na naman ang National Expenditure Program at tatalakayan na ng Kongreso (We hope transparency measures will be sustained because after the State of the Nation Address on July 26, the Executive will submit the National Expenditure Program to Congress for discussion)," Lacson said.
The Senate Finance Committee is now chaired by Senator Mark Villar.

Related Tags

Ping Lacson national budget Sherwin Gatchalian Tito Sotto III
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