Senator Ping Lacson urged the public to make public the names of senators and congressmen who will file amendments or recommendations to increase or decrease the funds in the proposed 2026 national budget.
Referring to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4, Lacson pointed out that if the information remains secret, the so-called “insertions” in the budget will continue to occur.
The lawmaker explained that the boasted transparency is not real if the people do not know who is responsible for the additional funds.
He said they have difficulty identifying which lawmaker increased the budget of a project or agency that is not appropriate.
For example, he said, there is a chance that the funds allocated from ₱200 million for a district will suddenly increase to ₱15 billion.
He added that there are party-list representatives who, even though they do not have a district, allocate funds to congressional districts — a practice that is said to be common today.
When Gatchalian pointed out that it would be difficult to release a complete list due to the number of changes made in the proposed amendments, Lacson said that “backtracking” is possible and that he is willing to help develop a system that will expedite the process.
Under Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4, all budget-related documents — from proposed funds for various agencies, results of hearings, notes of bicameral conferences, to the final version of the General Appropriations Bill — must be posted on the official websites of the Senate and House before being submitted to the President.
This aims to ensure that important information is available to the public to strengthen citizen participation in the deliberations on the 2026 national budget.
In this way, it is said that every peso in the public treasury will be used properly and in line with the basic needs of the country.
