MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Monday called on lawmakers to stop inserting funds for local infrastructure projects, saying this practice created a fertile ground for corruption.
“I hope House Speaker Faustino Dy III and Senate President Tito Sotto can agree with the appropriations and finance committees to bar insertions for DPWH projects. Because it all starts there, and some lawmakers just got greedier and greedier,” Lacson said in a radio interview on Monday.
He urged lawmakers to exercise “self-restraint” by stopping the practice of inserting funds.
The senator believes that Congress should be held primarily accountable for the systemic corruption in flood control projects because the budget insertions were done by lawmakers.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which Lacson heads, is set to resume hearings on flood control projects on Tuesday, September 23.
Former DPWH undersecretary for Operations Roberto Bernardo, who appointed Alcantara to the Bulacan district office, has been summoned to testify.
