Public anger combined with sustained vigilance could be key to countering the greed and callousness of lawmakers behind questionable insertions in the proposed 2027 national budget, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Wednesday.
Lacson expressed hope that the “kapalmuks” behind the attempts to mangle the budget anew would be proven wrong by the efforts of lawmakers and budget advocacy groups pushing for accountability.
“When anger meets vigilance, greed and callousness face a fierce fight. The flood control scandal has barely settled, yet the ‘kapalmuks‘ of the world are testing the limits of the people’s patience yet again. I would like to think they are wrong this time… Thanks to the People’s Budget Coalition and all like-minded individuals standing together for accountability,” he said in a post on X.
“Galit is not enough, vigilance is not enough. Pag pinagsama ang galit at ang vigilance, may paglalagyan talaga (Anger alone or vigilance alone will not be enough. But combine them and the ‘kapalmuks’ will have something to reckon with),” he added in an interview on DZMM radio.
Lacson welcomed overtures from some House of Representatives members to meet with the budget advocacy groups, particularly as public opinion increasingly supports the groups’ calls for accountability.
He also reiterated his calls for additional transparency measures in the budget process, including keeping livestreams running even during breaks – especially during the bicameral conference committee proceedings.
In the meantime, Lacson said he and his staff continue to scrutinize the proposed budget measure, checking for insertions and whether projects listed in the measure are viable and have met the needed requirements.
“Nagkakaisa kami dito maski sino tatamaan. Dito pwede apply sabi ni (former Justice Adolfo) Azcuna, all means all. Walang sacred cows, maski sino pa ang nag-insert. Kung di maimplement at kulang sa requirement kailangan kaltasin (We in the majority bloc have agreed that there will be no sacred cows. As former Justice Adolfo Azcuna said, all means all. There will be no sacred cows as far as those who made insertions are concerned. If there are projects that cannot be implemented or lack the needed requirements, they will be removed),” he reiterated.
Lacson likewise stressed anew that he is working to demand accountability as a matter of advocacy for honest public service, as he has no further political ambitions.
“I am left with no further political ambitions. Whatever I do now is pure advocacy in pursuit of honest public service which I love doing no matter the cost,” he said.
