MANILA – Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has questioned the proposed P180-million allocation for evacuation centers in each of the country’s 17 regions, saying the uniform distribution raises questions about whether the proposed spending is based on actual needs.

Lacson said his staff’s review of the proposed P7.2-trillion 2027 national budget showed that the allocations, totaling more than P3 billion, lacked details on the specific locations of the planned evacuation centers.

“We observed that each of the 17 regions was given a P180-million lump sum for evacuation centers. There were no details on where they would be located. The P180 million was uniformly distributed to each region,” Lacson said in an interview with DZXL radio.

He questioned whether the government had conducted studies to determine which regions required more evacuation facilities.

“Was there any study to determine if a region needed more evacuation centers? There seemed to be none. That is not acceptable. There were no specifications or locations. Each of Regions 1 to 17 was simply given P180 million for a total of more than P3 billion,” he said.

Lacson said the lack of specific locations and other details raised concerns about whether the proposed allocations were properly aligned with regional needs and priorities.

‘Ayuda’ spending

The senator also said he and his staff were scrutinizing numerous “ayuda” or social service allocations in the proposed budget, warning that the spending could make the 2027 national budget appear increasingly political ahead of the 2028 elections.

“It could become an election or campaign budget this early because 2027 will bring us closer to the 2028 elections,” Lacson said.

He said he had instructed his staff to examine the proposed spending more closely, particularly the balance between social protection programs and investments intended to support long-term development.

“The proposed 2027 budget seems to be very generous with ayuda,” Lacson said. “I told my staff to look closely at it and see if this could become an ‘ayuda’ budget.”

Lacson acknowledged that government assistance is necessary for Filipinos in need but said social services should be balanced with programs that promote sustainable economic development.

“There’s nothing wrong with ‘ayuda’ but we should also look at the long-term development side of how the budget is used,” he said.