WE SUPPORT Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson’s call for a thorough examination of the questionable insertions and realignments in the proposed 2027 national budget, and his declaration that there should be no exceptions in the Senate’s scrutiny.
But deleting suspicious items is not enough. When public money is inserted into the budget without a clear proponent, without proper approval, and without supporting documents, it is not just a budgeting error. If it cannot be explained, it must be treated as possible corruption, and it must be investigated.
WHAT A PROPER INVESTIGATION MUST ANSWER
Every questionable allocation must be traced, line by line:
Who proposed it?
Who approved it, and under what authority?
Did it go through proper technical evaluation?
Who benefits from it, and does it serve a legitimate public need?
Where are the documents that support it?
Any insertion that cannot answer these questions should be presumed irregular until proven otherwise.
NO ONE IS ABOVE SCRUTINY
The investigation should include the officials who led and oversaw the House budget process, particularly House Appropriations Committee chairperson Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing and House Majority Leader Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, the president’s son. The reported multibillion-peso increase in infrastructure allocations for the First District of Ilocos Norte, which Rep. Marcos represents, deserves particular scrutiny. The House Appropriations Committee must also account for the substantial changes it made to the Executive’s original proposal, including reallocations that affected essential government programs.
Holding a leadership position does not automatically establish criminal liability. But neither should political influence, family connections, or congressional privilege shield anyone from investigation.
FROM INVESTIGATION TO ACCOUNTABILITY
A proper investigation must be independent, transparent, and based on evidence, not on politics. If the evidence establishes graft, bribery, fraud, or other punishable offenses, the responsible officials should be charged. If the courts find them guilty, they must serve the penalties the law prescribes, including imprisonment where applicable.
Removing suspicious insertions only hides the problem. Investigating them exposes it, and prosecuting proven wrongdoing stops it from happening again.
THE BUDGET BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE
The national budget is meant for education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, disaster preparedness, and economic development, not for political patronage or personal gain. Filipinos deserve more than promises of transparency. They deserve answers, accountability, and justice.
No sacred cows. No selective justice. No special treatment for the politically powerful.
Trace every peso. Investigate properly. Prosecute where the evidence leads. Public office is a public trust, and those who betray it must face the full consequences of the law.
