Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, on Sunday, September 28, 2025, claimed that the majority of senators in the 19th Congress had budget insertions in this year's national budget.
The figures were staggering, according to Lacson, with the amount breaching "hundreds of billions of pesos."
He told dzMM radio in an interview: "Alam mo almost all the senators in the 19th Congress nakita ko dun sa listahan ayaw ko na lang magpangalan kasi hindi naman kumpleto yung 24 [senators]."
ping lacson: "I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH AMOUNTS."
Lacson said he obtained records detailing the amounts of the alleged insertions in the Senate in both the National Expenditure Program (NEP) and the bicameral version of the budget.
"Alam mo nakakita nga ako ng dokumento, yung sa 2025 senate pa lang ito, hindi ko pa natatapos kasi meron din akong nakita dun na listahan ng mga congressmen," said Lacson.
The former police chief-turned-lawmaker continued, "Hindi lamang net, yung kabuuan, e, sa Senate pa lang at least hundred billion, e.
"Nagulat nga ako sa mga individual, insertions ito, ha. Ito yung naka FLR ngayon, pagkalalaki. Never pa akong nakakita [nang ganyang amount]."
"For Later Release” or FLR refers to funds withheld pending approval by the executive branch.
"Kasi nung araw, nung hindi pa nade-deklara na unconstitutional yung PDAF, eh nandun lang sa hundreds of millions. E ngayon, ang nakita ko, yung total, yung kabuuan, at least a hundred billion."
PDAF stands for Priority Development Assistance Fund, or commonly referred to as "pork barrel" — a fund granted to each member of Congress for spending on important development projects of the government on the national level.
In 2013, a political scandal involving lawmakers and their PDAF exploded, accusing senators and congressmen of pocketing most of the allocated funds by funneling the money to fake foundations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) managed by JLN Group of Companies owned by Janet Lim-Napoles.
On November 19, 2013, the Supreme Court of the Philippines en banc declared PDAF unconstitutional.
Napoles was sentenced to up to 62 years in prison and was ordered to pay a fine of PHP 262 million.
While some public officials were charged, many were later acquitted by the court and, to this day, continue to hold public office.
Lacson said he was surprised by the scale of the amounts involved today, calling it unprecedented in his years as a lawmaker.
He pointed out, "Kasi nung araw nung hindi pa nade-deklara na unconstitutional yung PDAF, e, nandun lang sa hundreds of millions [ang amount]. Ngayon ang nakita ko, yung total, yung kabuuan, at least a hundred billion."
Lacson’s latest disclosure fuels the controversy over alleged corruption in government, where officials are accused of colluding with outside parties to divert funds meant for public projects to their own pockets.