MANILA — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said public vigilance should continue beyond the approval of the 2026 national budget and extend through its implementation, stressing that execution will be the next major challenge.

Lacson said that while religious and civil society groups closely monitored the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the budget bill, their role should not end once the measure is signed into law.

“The same vigilance showed by the public led by the Catholic Church, religious groups and civil society organizations must be maintained in watching over the budget’s implementation. Our people must not let down their guard because the 2026 budget will show if there is indeed reform for our government and our nation. We must learn from the lessons of corruption in the budgets of 2025 and prior years,” Lacson said in Filipino and English in an interview on DWIZ radio.

He noted that although most of his colleagues in the Senate share a reform-oriented mindset, the chamber is limited to 24 members, underscoring the need for public support in monitoring the spending of taxpayers’ money.

“I hope that since there are only 24 of us, we should have the support of many Filipinos. So I will say, may the force be with us,” he said.

Lacson earlier said the Senate included several general and special provisions in the 2026 budget to serve as safeguards during its implementation. These include a prohibition on guarantee letters and any form of “epal” in the distribution of government aid, strict implementation of the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) under the Universal Health Care program, and monthly oversight of infrastructure and farm-to-market road projects.

He added that the monitoring of infrastructure projects would include grid coordinates to allow easier tracking by the media and the public.