MANILA— Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson warned of possible further clashes with members of the House of Representatives as the Senate examines questionable changes to the proposed ₱7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, including cuts to foreign-assisted projects and additional allocations for flood control.

Lacson said the Senate could restore hundreds of billions of pesos in funding cuts and realignments introduced by the House in its version of the budget bill.

“Simula pa lang na iyakan na ‘yan, kasi pagka kinorrect namin lahat yung mga ginalaw nila, baka lalo pa silang mag-iyakan (The crying has just begun. Once we make the needed corrections, more crying may be coming soon),” he said in an interview on DZMM radio late Wednesday, referring to the emotional reactions of some House members after the chamber approved its version of the measure.

“Napakadami pa naming gagawin sa Senado, tuloy-tuloy ang aming pagdinig pati pagbusisi ng budget. So meron din ‘yung mga naipaglalagay sa mga distrito na basta hinalukay eh. Ang laki ng galaw doon (Our work is cut out for us. We are holding hearings on the budget at the committee level. But we will do something about the questionable changes made to the budget by the House),” he added.

The Senate formally received the House-approved budget bill on Wednesday and is expected to begin plenary debates on the measure in November. Lacson said he and his staff were reviewing its provisions.

Among the Senate’s priorities, he said, is protecting appropriations for Foreign-Assisted Projects (FAPs), warning that cuts to these allocations could expose the government to financial liabilities because of its commitments to foreign partners.

“Yan ang talagang titigasan namin na di pwedeng galawin yan. Masa-sacrifice yan (We will adopt a hardline stance that appropriations for FAPs cannot be touched. We will sacrifice a lot),” Lacson said in an interview on DZBB radio Thursday.

In an X post on Sunday, the senator cited preliminary information indicating that some House budget adjustments affected FAPs and could result in significant financial consequences.

“SIMULA PA LANG NG IYAKAN: Wait until we pass the Senate version of the budget measure, where we will restore hundreds of billions in cuts and realignments, including those affecting Foreign-Assisted Projects, which could result in heavy financial costs and consequences,” he said.

Lacson cited the Lakeshore (Laguna) Road Network, a multiyear project involving the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), as an example of a project that could be affected by changes in funding.

He explained that failure to implement foreign-assisted projects could leave the government liable for commitment fees and other financial obligations.

“Hindi pwedeng unilateral on our part na ayaw naming pondohan ito, nag-commit tayo doon (We cannot unilaterally say we are not funding the project. We made a commitment to it),” he said.

The senator also raised concerns over preliminary information indicating that the House had added appropriations for flood control projects, despite the controversy surrounding alleged irregularities in such projects.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. had previously expressed outrage over the alleged anomalies, declaring, “Mahiya naman kayo (Be ashamed).”

Lacson had delivered two privilege speeches and chaired Senate Blue Ribbon hearings on the issue, which helped build cases that led to charges against several individuals and the detention of some personalities.

“Hindi pa naghihilom, hindi pa lumalamig ang init, eto na naman tayo (The wounds have yet to heal and the situation has yet to cool, but here we are again),” Lacson said.