Lacson: Imee had P2.5 billion ‘allocables’ in 2025 budget

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January 12, 2026 | 1:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Imee Marcos has no moral ascendancy to denounce the 2026 national budget as being “tadtad ng pork” (filled with pork barrel) when she herself had billions of pesos in “allocable” funds reflected in the “Cabral files,” Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said on Saturday.

According to Lacson, records showed Marcos as among lawmakers with sizable allocations both at the National Expenditure Program (NEP) stage and in the final enrolled bill of the 2025 national budget.

Lacson said Marcos’ name appeared in the Cabral files with an allocable amount of around P2.5 billion at the NEP level, even before insertions were finalized.

“She opened this can of worms. She said minced pork, that there is pork barrel in the 2026 budget,” Lacson told radio dzBB. “But Senator Imee, she has an allocable worth P2.5 billion in the NEP (of 2025 based on the) Cabral files.”

He added that while allocables were eventually removed, Marcos still appeared to have projects that survived the bicameral conference committee and were reflected in the final enrolled bill.

“Some of the FLR (for later release), Sen. Imee has that… and her FLR, there were funds released for that,” Lacson said.

Lacson noted that while Marcos rejected the ratified version of the 2026 budget bill due to increases in funding for assistance programs she labeled as “soft pork” – among them the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients and Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations – she had pork at least in the 2025 General Appropriations Act, and was even physically present in the distribution of ayuda  or aid last year.

Lacson added that Marcos’ public denunciations of the budget were inconsistent with her role as a Senate contingent to the bicameral conference committee, noting that she did not raise objections when the panel was deliberating.

“We heard nothing from her when she was there in the bicam,” he said.

Beyond the budget, Lacson also rejected Marcos’ claim that members of the Blue Ribbon committee were being pressured or prohibited from naming powerful figures in the corruption probe, calling the allegation false and irresponsible.

He said no one – neither from Malacañang nor from within the Senate – had ever instructed him or the committee to shield former speaker Martin Romualdez or any other official.

“I don’t know who she is referring to,” Lacson said.

He stressed that the committee follows the evidence wherever it leads and noted that Romualdez was mentioned in testimony, but not directly implicated by any sworn witness.

“Wherever the evidence leads to, that’s where we are going,” he said, adding that only controversial witness Orly Guteza had implicated Romualdez – testimony that could no longer be pursued because Guteza remains at large.

Reacting to Marcos’ continued public tirades against the committee, Lacson said her statements had crossed from criticism into outright insult, undermining the integrity of a panel she herself belongs to.

“Perhaps she wants to apply as the ‘meow meow of the Senate’? We don’t want a meow meow in the Senate, but someone seems interested to apply,” Lacson said, referencing suspended Cavite Rep. Kiko Barzaga, who is known for his “meow meow” antics during House sessions.