MANILA – Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said revelations about massive budget insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Act should serve as a wake-up call for Congress to ensure a pork-free budget in 2026 and beyond.

Lacson said he explained his disclosure during a caucus with senators on Monday, after some colleagues expressed concern that the issue could damage the Senate as an institution.

“I can actually feel and understand completely the sentiments expressed by my colleagues, at least the members of the majority bloc during our majority caucus yesterday, so I explained to them that the mention of ‘almost all senators’ was not intended to put them or the whole Senate on the spot, nor did I have the intention of calling them out particularly,” Lacson said.

He stressed that his disclosure was meant to underscore the need for transparency in the wake of anomalies involving substandard and ghost flood control projects flagged in Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings.

In a separate interview with NET25, Lacson said the Senate should take the lead in setting an example for a transparent budget process.

“The clear and overarching message… is to avoid or at least minimize the mangling of the national budget bill especially if it means taking away funds from vetted projects—particularly foreign-assisted ones—in favor of ‘pet projects,’” he said.

Lacson emphasized that the issue is not about individual lawmakers but about restoring public trust.

“Hindi ito patungkol sa tao-tao, maging senador or congressmen. Ito patungkol sa aming lahat, reminder na binabantayan tayo, mag-ingat tayo,” he said.

He also warned that questionable insertions could hurt the economy by diverting funds away from vetted infrastructure projects and jeopardizing foreign-assisted programs if local counterpart funding is slashed.