SEN. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson yesterday said a certain “undersecretary Cabral” from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) allegedly called the office of Senate minority leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III just days after the May 2025 midterm elections and asked if he has any “insertions” in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2026.
In an interview with dzBB radio, Lacson said: “Si undersecretary Cabral daw ang tumawag sa kanyang (Sotto) staff at sinabing magsingit na kayo dito ng gusto niyong isingit…. Kung isa si Sen. Sotto sa in-offer-an, sino pa ang na-offer-an ng ganoon at sino ang nag-submit? (It was a certain undersecretary Cabral who reportedly called a staff member of Sen. Sotto and told them to insert what they wanted to insert [in the NEP]. If Sen. Sotto was one of those called by that executive, who else could have been contacted similarly and who submitted their proposed insertions)?”
Sotto confirmed Lacson’s statement in a separate interview with dzBB radio.
“Tama ‘yung kuwento ni Sen. Lacson na may nagpasabi sa akin na tinatanong kung interesado ako na mag-submit para sa NEP. Sabi ko hindi dahil magiging ang hitsura noon, para akong nag-i-inset sa NEP di ba? Kahit kailan di ko ginawa yan eh…Bakit nila iispin na gagawin ko iyon? Eh puwede ring pain iyon, di ba? (Sen. Lacson’s information is correct. Someone asked me if I am interested to submit [any proposal to be included] in the NEP. I turned it down because that will look I am inserting something in the NEP. I have never done that. Why would they think I would do that? It could have also been a bait),” Sotto said.
When asked if it was really Cabral who called his office, Sotto clarified that it was not Cabral whom he directly spoke to but an “emissary” of the official.
The DPWH website lists one Maria Catalina E. Cabral as its undersecretary for planning, public-private partnership, and information management services.
She attended last week’s hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee and was the one who responded to senators’ questions after resigned DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan was excused from the hearing.
Bonoan resigned effective September 1, 2025 amid ongoing investigations on anomalous DPWH flood control projects. He was replaced by former Transportation secretary Vince Dizon.
Cabral is among the DPWH officials who are included in the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) issued by the Department of Justice on the request of the Senate blue ribbon committee and Dizon.
DPWH RECORDS
Lacson said he has requested the DPWH to submit documents related to 660 “distinct” entries which have the same amount of P100 million but without clear descriptions and stationing.
He noted that the 2026 spending program was already being prepared by the Department of Budget and Management even before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called out lawmakers during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 28, pointing out that the budget call started in January 2025, and likely ended in June.
Sotto said past and present Senate leaders can help identify the senators who made insertions in the previous budgets, adding that Senate presidents are always informed about what’s happening and they could have not missed anything, especially when it comes to the budget process.
“Yes, 100 percent. Kasi ako hindi ko pinapayagan eh. Four and half years ako nung Senate president. Nag-uusap kami lagi nila Loren (Legarda) at sinasabi dito na ang kailangan na pinapasok ay institutional amendments. (Yes, 100 percent [Senate presidents know that]. I was Senate president for four and a half years, and I am always talking with [former finance committee chair Loren] Legarda to only allow institutional amendments),” he said.
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri was the Senate president from July 2022 to May 2024, while Sen. Francis Escudero was elected in May 2024 to present.
Sotto was the Senate president from May 2018 to June 2022.
Sotto said institutional amendments are budget realignments made in the plenary which must be first approved by the body, while insertions are only known by the proponent lawmaker.
“I am not sure what happened during the bicameral conference committee of 2022 to 2023, but I know that the bicam of 2024 to 2025, something terrible happened. It is impossible that the Senate president is not aware of that. Impossible),” he said in Filipino.
He added that it is incumbent on past Senate presidents to explain what really happened during those years when the budget was discovered to have several insertions because “the people wants to know.”
He said the House appropriations committee chairs and Senate finance committee head also know what happened during the past budget processes.
RELEASE NAMES
Zubiri, in a statement, said he has always maintained that the names of all the proponents of insertions during the budget bicameral conference committee meetings should be released.
“It is impossible that these (insertions) do not have a sponsor in the small bicam where a lot of amendments were done. We should find out if that’s from a congressman or a senator and from whom. The chairpersons at that time have the list,” he said.
Zubiri said that as Senate president, he never attended any small bicameral meeting or meddled in the bicameral discussions.
Like Sotto. he said the chairmen of the committees which tackled the budgers can shed light on who made insertions during the bicameral meetings.
“Lahat ng request for amendments whether institutional or local are given to the chair of the committee. Never as SP did I meddle with any list or request from any member of the Senate. LBRMO ang may alam kung yan ay amendment ng senator or congressman during the small bicam meeting or request from any member of the Senate. LBRMO (Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office) ang may alam kung yan ay amendment ng senator or congressman during the small bicam meeting (All requests for amendments, whether institutional or local, are given to the chair of the committee. Never as SP [Senate president] did I meddle with any list or request from any member of the Senate. The LBRMO [Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office] will know if an amendment was made by a senator or a congressman during the small bicam meeting),” Zuburi said.
‘DRAIN’ FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS
Escudero yesterday said he wants to slash P250.8 billion in flood control projects from the P881.3 billion proposed spending plan of the DPWH for 2026, saying the allocation should be rechanneled to health, education, and food production.
He said he finds it odd that the nearly quarter-trillion-peso proposed funding for flood control projects accounts for one-third of the entire DPWH project, and 20 times bigger than the amount earmarked for the construction of new school buildings, which is only around P13 bi llion, but the funds for flood control projects are “flooded.”
“If we let this stand as it is, this budget will be deluged with criticism…Mas praktikal at makabubuti na tapyasan na muna ang pondong ilalaan para flood control at ibuhos ito sa mga sektor ng edukasyon, kalusugan, at produksyon ng pagkain habang hinihintay natin ang ADB-funded flood control master plan… Ang pagbabawas ng pondo sa DPWH ay pagbabawas din ng posibilidad ng korpasyon.”
(If we let this stand as it is, this budget will be deluged with criticism…It would be better if we slash the funds for flood control projects so we can use them for other sectors such as education, health, and agriculture while we are waiting from the ABD-funded flood control master plan… Shaving off the DPWH budget will also lower the possibility of corruption),” he also said.
The DPWH has the following allocation in the proposed 2026 budget: P108 billion for asset preservation; P182.5 billion for network development; P52 billion for bridges; P15.4 billion for local programs; and P167.8 billion for convergence and special support.
Escudero said the DBM should “recast the DPWH budget and shrink the flood control funds to the required minimum to places where people are really in harm’s way when the rains come.”
“The development impact of the budget has been clearly diluted by this irrational bias for flood control. If budgeting is the smart application of scarce resources to where they can make the greatest good for the greatest number of people, then why are we allowing a program that creates the least impact corner much of the funds?” he said.
“I encourage DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon to explore possible partnerships with various LGUs and private sector with respect to cleaning our rivers, particularly in Metro Manila, while all public infrastructure projects are under review.”
