Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Lacson

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175757695080320250806-senate-impeachment-vote-lacson-OSP-4.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Senators engaged in rigorous deliberation on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, weighing constitutional precedents and procedural safeguards during Wednesday’s plenary session, August 6, 2025. Joseph B. Vidal/OSP</span></span></span>MANILA — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson bared Thursday that there was a P355 million insertion in the 2025 national budget intended for Bulacan, which appears to match the claim of a DPWH engineer that Sen. Jinggoy Estrada allocated such amount in the spending plan.</div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/9/ex-dpwh-engineer-tags-estrada-villanueva-in-alleged-flood-control-anomalies-1055">Ex-DPWH engineer tags Estrada, Villanueva in flood control anomalies; senators deny allegations</a></div><p>Earlier this week, former DPWH Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez accused Estrada and Sen. Joel Villanueva of receiving &quot;commitments&quot; equal to about 30 percent of the project cost for some floodgates and pumping stations in Bulacan. </p><p>&quot;Si Senator Jinggoy po ay nagbaba ng P350 million ngayong 2025 sa ilang projects sa Bulacan... Ang kanyang SOP dito ay 30 percent, as per our district engineer Henry Alcantara. Diniliver ito noong lumabas ang mga item na ito sa GAA (General Appropriations Act),&quot; Hernandez had said. </p><p>On Thursday, Lacson, who now chairs the Senate Blue Ribbon panel, said they found something similar in the current budget.</p><p>&quot;Pina-check ko agad sa General Appropriations Act kung meron bang insertion na nagkakahalaga ng P355 million na intended para sa Bulacan. And we found one. Meron talagang insertion na wala sa House version pero lumabas ito after Bicam. So maliwanag na either sa Senate version or sa Bicam yun na insert,&quot; Lacson told the Kapihan sa Senado. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/9/jinggoy-threatens-to-sue-ex-dpwh-engineer-who-accused-him-of-corruption-1519">Jinggoy to take legal action vs ex-DPWH engineer who accused him of corruption</a></div><p>&quot;That would add to the credibility. Kasi exact yung amount. Nung na-check namin, indeed, meron talagang P355 million na wala sa House version, wala sa NEP. So either sa Senate version or sa Bicam yun na-insert,&quot; he added.</p><p>Lacson said he would still like to validate the claim further in so far as who the proponent is.</p><p>&quot;Now, we would like to find out kasi alam nyo naman yung kalakaran sa budget deliberation dito. Hindi mo pwede matukoy. Ito nga yung lagi kong pinaglalaban na identify natin kung sino yung proponents ng mga amendments. Kasi kung walang record yon, paano matutukoy kung sino yung legislator, congressman man, o senador na nag-insert o nag-amend. Walang record eh,&quot; Lacson said.</p><p>With this reality, Lacson said the proponent of the insertion may just get away with it.</p><p>&quot;Possible. Wala ngang record niya. Kaya nga moving forward, kailangan maging transparent all the way, every step of the way from the NEP.&quot;</p><p>Estrada and Villanueva have both denied Hernandez&#x27;s accusation, with the Estrada mulling legal action against the former DPWH engineer.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/10/jinggoy-says-most-vulnerable-to-corruption-claims-says-unfair-to-link-his-past-issues-1025">Jinggoy says &#x27;most vulnerable&#x27; to corruption claims, says &#x27;unfair&#x27; to link his &#x27;past issues&#x27;</a></div><p>Lacson said they will also look into Hernandez&#x27;s claims of a delivery of bribe to a senator by a contractor in the Senate premises.</p><p>The supposed delivery happened August 19.</p><p>Lacson said he has not yet seen the CCTV footage but he has asked the Senate staff to secure it and for the one in charge to testify before the hearing. </p><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W8jtCpN7D00??si=vOJwbLCPAPBp48M8&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-z4M8IPgrEI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Sen. Ping Lacson said he would still like to validate the claim further in so far as who the proponent is.</p>

Sen. Ping Lacson said he would still like to validate the claim further in so far as who the proponent is.

Lacson finds P355-M 'Senate or bicam insertion' in 2025 budget 'matching' Hernandez claim

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Lacson finds P355-M 'Senate or bicam insertion' in 2025 budget 'matching' Hernandez claim

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 11, 2025 03:53 PM PHT

|

Updated Sep 11, 2025 06:37 PM PHT

Read More:

DPWH

insertion

politics

Jinggoy Estrada

Ping Lacson

flood control

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