Ping pushes end to ‘allocables, leadership fund’

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April 15, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Abolishing an alleged “leadership fund” and banning “allocables” in the national budget are among the Blue Ribbon committee’s recommendations in its flood control probe, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said yesterday.

Initial Blue Ribbon findings showed the House leadership has at least P143.5 billion in “allocables,” which Lacson earlier branded as the new pork barrel.

A “leadership fund” supposedly allowed lawmakers to tinker with the National Expenditure Program, or the proposed national budget.

Former public works secretary Manuel Bonoan earlier testified that he accommodated lawmakers’ proposals and inserted the funds to “avoid complications” at the bicameral conference committee.

Party-lists and non-legislators such as Bonoan also had allocables, including P30.5 billion in 2025 alone.

Lacson cited documents from late public works undersecretary Catalina Cabral’s camp, which showed at least five Cabinet members and undersecretaries had allocables or non-allocables amounting to billions of pesos in the 2025 budget.

Before her death, Cabral allegedly contacted lawmakers and catered to their requests to set aside funding for pet projects in exchange for commissions.

The Blue Ribbon will recommend stronger powers for the Office of the Ombudsman, such as giving it its own law enforcement arm to enforce search warrants and allowing the ombudsman to deputize private lawyers, Lacson said.

Lacson canceled the resumption of the Blue Ribbon probe yesterday as he awaits former Ilocos Sur governor Luis Singson’s draft affidavit on what he knows about the alleged kickbacks scheme.

ICI turns over 2 cars

Two luxury vehicles surrendered by former Bulacan public works district engineer Brice Hernandez has been turned over to the ombudsman by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure.

The ICI said the turnover forms part of the evidence, documents and findings it had transmitted to the ombudsman on March 13, in connection with its flood control investigation. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Rainier Allan Ronda