Senator Lacson vows crackdown on corrupt officials, flags 2027 budget anomalies

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Thursday reaffirmed his unwavering campaign against corruption, intensifying his scrutiny over flagged irregularities in the proposed 2027 national budget and deep-seated anomalies in public infrastructure.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the veteran lawmaker emphasized that his zero-tolerance stance on graft has remained unchanged throughout his decades in public service.

"Mula law enforcement hanggang Senado, napakababa ng tolerance ko sa mga corrupt. I am always consistent in this regard. Talagang hindi ko sila tatantanan," Lacson said.

(From law enforcement to the Senate, my tolerance for the corrupt has been extremely low. I am always consistent in this regard. I will truly never leave them alone.)

Lacson built his anti-graft reputation during his law enforcement career from 1971 to 2001, where he targeted corrupt personnel, strictly enforced a “no-take” policy against protection money from illegal gambling, and rejected million-peso bribe offers.

His uncompromising reform campaign ultimately led to the dismissal of over 2,000 rogue officers.Since entering the Senate in 2001, Lacson has remained a steadfast watchdog over the national budget, repeatedly exposing legislative "pork barrel" insertions and questionable lump-sum allocations.

His latest budget scrutiny exposes several key areas of concern:Suspicious Lump Sums: In August, Lacson flagged a P3.06-billion allocation buried in the proposed 2027 budget, structured as identical P180-million lump sums for evacuation centers across each of the country’s 17 regions.

Health Sector Discrepancies He questioned shifting spending targets in the Universal Health Care (UHC) Program, pointing to the Department of Health’s (DOH) adoption of multiple financing plans in 2022 where actual expenditures failed to match targets.

Unsolicited Insertions: Lacson noted that uncoordinated lawmaker insertions into DOH line-items have directly caused severe fund underutilization and project delays.

Underperforming GOCCs: He proposed outright defunding—rather than subtle subsidy cuts—for persistently underperforming government-owned and controlled corporations to prevent wasteful spending.

Despite his strict fiscal oversight, Lacson has actively supported essential institutional funding. Working alongside Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, he helped secure a P162.9-million budget increase for the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to integrate artificial intelligence into its anti-financial crime operations.

Escalating Flood Control and Infrastructure Probes

Lacson’s anti-corruption focus has also centered heavily on infrastructure fraud, particularly flood control developments. Following privilege speeches highlighting failed projects in Bulacan and Mindoro, Lacson led Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings and formally submitted gather evidence to the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman.

Most recently, Lacson’s office turned over 45 comprehensive case studies backed by official documents to the Ombudsman, detailing "systemic anomalies," unauthorized reclamation activities, and questionable infrastructure projects in Taguig City.

The Office of the Ombudsman has since launched a full fact-finding investigation into the Taguig submissions.