Lacson: DPWH exec sought budget insertions from Sotto

CEBU, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Sunday identified an “Undersecretary Cabral” as the senior public works official who reached out to Sen. Vicente Sott o III shortly after the May 2025 elections to invite him to make insertions in the 2026 national budget.

In a radio interview over dzBB, Lacson said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) official phoned Sotto’s office to solicit proposed projects for the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

“One ‘Undersecretary Cabral’ called Sotto’s staff and told them to insert what they wanted to insert. If Sen. Sotto was one of those called by that executive, who else could have been contacted similarly and submitted their proposed insertions?” Lacson said in Filipino.

Sotto first revealed the incident two weeks ago while interpellating during Lacson’s privilege speech on flood control anomalies.

Lacson said Sotto rejected the offer.

“Sen. Sotto told me he did not submit anything because we are advocating transparency and good governance. The question now is, how many members of the House and Senate made insertions?” Lacson added.

In a separate interview, Sotto confirmed Lacson’s statements, saying someone relayed an offer on behalf of the DPWH, asking if he was interested in submitting projects for inclusion in the NEP.

“Tama ‘yung kuwento ni Sen. Lacson, may nagpasabi sa akin, tinatanong kung interesado ako magsubmit para sa NEP. Sabi ko hindi dahil ang magiging itsura nun para akong nag-insert sa NEP. Kahit kailan ‘di ko ginawa ‘yun,” Sotto said.

When asked if the DPWH official was Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, Sotto replied: “’Yun ang sabi ng pinagsabihan.”

He clarified, however, that he did not speak with Cabral directly but only through an emissary.

“Siguro [siya rin nakakaalam ng mga taong nag-insert sa budget],” he added.

Public records show Cabral is DPWH undersecretary for planning, public-private partnerships, and information management services.

Lacson said he has formally asked the agency for records related to the budget call, noting he has already seen hundreds of “distinct” entries in the draft, including 660 identical P100-million projects without specific details.

The senator warned that collusion between lawmakers and agencies in crafting the NEP undermines existing safeguards in the budget process.

He noted that the budget call for 2026 began in January 2025 and was likely completed by June, weeks before President Marcos called out questionable budget practices in his July 28 State of the Nation Address.

“Safeguards will be rendered useless if there is collusion. If there is collusion, all safeguards will be disregarded, as seen in the briefing of the Development Budget Coordination Committee where there was collusion between legislators and the DPWH in the drafting of the NEP,” Lacson said. (CEBU NEWS)