Senator-elect Panfilo Lacson said Wednesday that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s potential role as an observer in the bicameral deliberations on the 2026 national budget should send a strong and clear message to Congress about the importance of respecting the budget process.
Lacson expressed his support for the intention of the Chief Executive to monitor the budget process, including the possibility of sitting as an observer at the bicameral conference committee.
“As long as the President does not actively participate in the bicameral conference deliberations and merely observes—so as to avoid any misunderstanding regarding the legislature’s traditional exercise of the ‘power of the purse’—I support this gesture,” the incoming senator said.
“It will send a strong signal to Congress members not to undermine our role in the budget process,” Lacson added.
The seasoned lawmaker emphasized that “the national budget should not be treated as an individual prerogative,” but “must align with the administration’s policy direction towards achieving the country’s development goals in 2026 and beyond.”
Lacson, known for his vigilant oversight of the national budget, lamented that the bicameral conference committee responsible for deliberating on the budget bill has effectively become the third and most powerful chamber due to a lack of transparency.
The former cop turned legislator has consistently advocated for transparency in the budget process, including allowing media and the public to observe the deliberations from the gallery during the bicameral conference committee meetings.
“The public and the media should be allowed in the gallery. While they won’t directly participate in the deliberations, they will at least be informed about what is happening. Currently, the bicameral discussions involve members whispering to each other, keeping the public in the dark,” said Lacson, who filed Senate Bill 24 in the 18th Congress to encourage public participation in the national budget process.
