Latest in Pork BarrelSenator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Saturday, May 23, validated the widely shared public perception that the Philippine Senate has degenerated from a deliberative body of statesmen into a spectacle—agreeing with “organic netizens” who have been comparing the chamber to a children’s playground, and…
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Saturday called for a Senate-wide retreat and collective self-reflection as the most meaningful first step toward rebuilding the institution’s dignity and integrity, invoking the model set by Senate President Jovito Salonga after the 1989 coup attempt—when Salonga…
Even senators themselves privately acknowledge that the institution’s reputation has sunk to its lowest point in recent memory, with Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson saying the public anger directed at the Senate in the wake of the May 13 shooting incident and the ongoing political turmoil is…
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Sunday, January 11, invoked the adage that “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones” as he flagged ₱2.5 billion in allocables linked to Imee Marcos in the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP), while questioning her criticism…
Public health expert Dr. Tony Leachon urged the government on Saturday, December 6 to scrap the use of guarantee letters and shift to automatic PhilHealth payments, saying the current system forces patients to beg politicians for assistance. Speaking on DZRH News program Special on Saturday…
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Wednesday, December 3 warned that more than ₱180 billion may have been lost to ghost flood-control projects dating back to 2016, based on Senate inspections that found over 600 nonexistent projects out of the 10,000 reviewed so far. Lacson said…
Senators turned up the heat on the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) over its handling of unprogrammed appropriations, warning that the ballooning funds are eerily becoming the agency’s version of pork barrel. “Ang magic, nasa DBM,” Senator Imee Marcos said, stressing that the DBM should…
Retired officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP), joined by civil society allies, have called on House Speaker Martin Romualdez to resign, amid public outrage on alleged corruption and misuse of billions of public funds. The appeal was also aired…
Flood control projects listed on the government’s Sumbong sa Pangulo website reveal a concentration of billions of pesos in districts controlled by members of the ruling Lakas party and its allies. This was revealed by IBON Foundation Executive Director Sonny Africa in an interview on DZRH News’…
Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez has implicated Senators Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada and Joel Villanueva in alleged irregularities involving flood control projects. The revelation came during the House Infrastructure Committee…
Former Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson has put an end to speculation that he might be tapped again to lead the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), saying it is time for others to take the reins. “Sana, and I have said this, lahat ng kumausap sa akin, please…
Former Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson on Saturday called on lawmakers to declare a “time-out” on budget insertions for flood control projects, warning that billions of pesos are being funneled into programs without feasibility studies or proper basis. Speaking on DZRH…
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Saturday warned that members of both houses of Congress may be implicated in anomalies surrounding billions of pesos worth of flood control projects, citing the practice of budget insertions in the General Appropriations Act (GAA). Speaking in an interview on DZRH…
Imperial Manila strikes again as the lion’s share of the 2026 budget flows to Luzon and NCR, leaving Mindanao and Visayas barely a quarter of the budget. Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez sounded the alarm over what he described as a “Mega Manila-centric” 2026 national budget, warning that…
As leptospirosis cases surge—over 3,037 nationwide, with hundreds of lives lost—we must speak not only with data, but with deep empathy. Behind every statistic is a grieving family, a breadwinner lost, a child orphaned. And behind every flooded street is a system that failed them. This is not just…
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