From ₱16B to ₱33B overnight: Who pocketed the extra billions?

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has raised a red flag over what he called a ₱33-billion “pork barrel” insertion in the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) 2026 budget this time hidden under farm-to-market roads (FMRs).

Lacson blasted the massive allocation, saying the DA proposal fails to identify where the roads will actually be built, as it contains no grid coordinates a red flag he warned mirrors the same scheme used in the now-exposed “ghost” flood-control projects at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

“₱33 billion was simply inserted no identification. That already looks like pork,” Lacson said in a radio interview on Sunday.

He stressed that the funds appear to be quietly distributed by district, raising serious questions about whether any technical studies were ever conducted.

“Is there a study? That’s the real question,” he said.

Lacson revealed that Senate Finance Committee Chair Sherwin Gatchalian himself raised the alarm during the Bicameral Conference Committee hearings, repeatedly demanding to know where exactly the projects are located.

“Even now, Sen. Gatchalian is already asking do these projects even have grid coordinates?” Lacson said.

Without clear project locations, Lacson warned, the public will be left in the dark, unable to track or monitor how billions in public funds are spent.

He said the problem could still be fixed but only if a special provision is added, requiring the DA to clearly identify project sites before implementation.

Under the original 2026 National Expenditure Program, the FMR budget stood at just ₱16 billion. But during bicameral deliberations, it suddenly ballooned to ₱33 billion more than double its original amount.

While Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan has backed the increase, citing safeguards against abuse, Lacson remained unconvinced.

He disclosed that he has already warned fellow senators that he will refuse to sign the ratification of the 2026 national budget if the controversial ₱33-billion FMR fund—along with the ₱51-billion Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) remains intact.

“I already told them in our group chat sorry, I won’t sign the ratification if it stays that way,” Lacson said.

Lacson also fired a warning at the House of Representatives, urging lawmakers not to revive the CHED Tulong Dunong Program, which he said has likewise been abused by politicians.

The message from Lacson was clear: no transparency, no signature.