Senator pushes for heightened vigilance over 2026 budget use

A SENATOR on Sunday called for continued public vigilance over the 2026 national budget, noting that oversight should extend beyond its passage into its implementation.

“The same vigilance showed by the public led by the Catholic Church, religious groups and civil society organizations must be maintained in watching over the budget’s implementation,” Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said in a statement.

He added that public support is needed to flag potential wrongdoings in the implementation of the P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026.

“I hope that since there are only 24 of us, we should have the support of many Filipinos,” Mr. Lacson said.

The senator said that the chamber has placed several general and special provisions that function as safety nets and safeguards in the execution of the national spending plan.

These include the strict implementation of and compliance with the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients under the Universal Health Care program.

He added that a monthly oversight of infrastructure and farm-to-market road programs would also be implemented. This includes complete grid coordinates for easy monitoring by media and the public.

The Senate had also banned the use of guarantee letters from politicians to secure government aid for their constituents.

He added that the public must not “let down their guard” in the government utilization of the national spending plan.

“Our people must not let down their guard because the 2026 budget will show if there is indeed reform for our government and our nation,” he said. “We must learn from the lessons of corruption in the budgets of 2025 and prior years.”

The 2025 budget faced heightened scrutiny after several opaque budget allocations and congressional insertion were found, prompting calls for better transparency and accountability. — Adrian H. Halili