Lacson slams critics, defends track record

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson fired back at critics casting doubt on his track record, issuing a stern message to “naysayers” after former public works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo testified in court that he is the sole lawmaker untouched by infrastructure kickbacks.

“To the naysayers, let me be clear: I have never asked for or accepted allocables, leadership funds, bribes, or lobby money in any capacity in government. My greatest inheritance from my beloved parents, regardless of our station in life, is my integrity, and no amount of doubt can take that away,” Lacson said in a statement.

His remarks followed Bernardo’s before the Sandiganbayan Third Division on Thursday, during which Associate Justice Ronald Moreno asked him if there were still lawmakers who could be considered “heroes” for completely refusing a cut from government infrastructure projects.

“Only Senator Lacson,” Bernardo replied.

Lacson’s defense of his integrity comes amid the continuing clash with Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, who publicly questioned the sudden spike in Lacson’s declared net worth.

Lacson previously clarified that his wealth quadrupled legitimately during his three years outside of government service from 2022 to 2025, which is fully reflected in his income tax returns.

He has recently been aggressively pursuing anti-graft campaigns, formally submitting 45 case studies to the Office of the Ombudsman detailing alleged systemic anomalies in Taguig’s flood control projects.

Vigilance over budget

According to Lacson, the public needs to remain vigilant over the proposed 2027 national budget now that watchdog groups flagged nearly 7,000 questionable projects worth P190 billion inserted into the House-approved spending plan.

The senator commended the People’s Budget Coalition for analyzing and exposing the unsupported insertions during a recent Senate finance committee hearing.

The PBC has formally urged the House appropriations committee to publish the supporting documents for the P190-billion insertions and establish a transparent mechanism for verification and correction.

The coalition warned that passing the House-approved budget as is – “without a system of verification of publicly available supporting documents by civil society and media – we might get another flood control scandal, but in another agency.”

Lacson also pushed for more transparent deliberations of the bicameral conference committee on the proposed 2027 budget, citing last year’s edition as an improvement from previous years.

“What I’m suggesting is that even if the session is suspended, discussions… should still be audible at least to those inside the room. Better if the general public could also see what is being discussed, even during the breaks,” he told “Storycon” on One News yesterday. — Janvic Mateo