Lacson flags lump-sum infrastructure items in proposed 2027 budget

Lacson flags lump-sum infrastructure items in proposed 2027 budget Senator Panfilo Lacson on Saturday flagged some lump-sum appropriations for infrastructure projects of a government agency in the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, saying he would seek clarification from the officials concerned. Lacson said he might formally raise the issue during the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) briefing, which is initially scheduled for August 27. “We spotted lump-sum appropriations that we don't think should be lump sums. When we say lump-sum appropriations, an aggregate amount is appropriated for a project, activity or program (PAP), or a group of projects, without detailing the breakdown of the cost of each PAP,” Lacson said. “We will seek clarification on the details of these lump-sum appropriations. Lump-sum appropriations are allowed for calamity funds because we cannot predict when calamities will occur. But it becomes questionable if they are for infrastructure projects. That is what we saw, and we will ask for details on the matter,” the senator told radio station dzMM. GMA News Online has asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), which chairs the DBCC, for comment but had yet to receive a response as of posting time. Lacson said his staff had started examining the National Expenditure Program (NEP) after it was transmitted to both houses of Congress earlier in the week. The senator added that they would also scrutinize the NEP for possible special provisions that could potentially be used to abuse unprogrammed appropriations. Lacson cited a previous General Appropriations Act in which the bicameral conference committee included two additional and “highly questionable, even unconstitutional” special provisions. According to Lacson, these provisions allowed the executive branch to transfer funds of government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs), such as the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), to the national treasury. Another provision involved foreign-assisted projects, which he said “could have been disastrous if disbursed for purposes other than what they were intended for.” Lacson said the Senate would continue implementing reforms, including livestreaming the proceedings of the bicameral conference committee and posting online all documents related to the budget process. Meanwhile, Lacson reiterated his advocacy for giving local government units (LGUs) and local development councils a greater say in the budget process. He said this should include adjusting the Department of Budget and Management’s budget call so that the outputs of local development councils, through the Regional Development Councils, would be considered and incorporated into the NEP. Lacson said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order No. 82, issued in January 2025, sought to enhance the participation of regional development councils. However, many mayors, governors and other local officials still visit the Senate to seek funding for their projects. "I was hoping EO 82 would be implemented properly but it seems the situation has not quite been corrected. This early we see many mayors visiting the Senate, telling us that their projects did not make it to the NEP. There is a disconnect. This is what I have been advocating since I entered the Senate 20-plus years ago. Local development councils must be given attention because they know their constituents' needs," he said. — Jamil Santos/VBL, GMA News