Lacson looking forward to pork-free 2020 budget

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday declared that he would be the happiest person in the country if  “pork” insertions in the proposed P4.1-trillion national budget are totally eliminated.

“Alam mo siguro, wala nang pinakamasayang tao sa Pilipinas kundi ako kung mawala ang pork barrel (“You know what, I’d be the happiest person in the country if the pork barrel is eliminated),” Lacson said in an interview on dzMM.

Lacson said he would be grateful if the House of Representatives transmits to the Senate a budget sans the “pork” and pave the way for a mere review the National Expenditure Program.

“Pasalamat tayo kung yan ang nakapaloob sa HOR version na ita-transmit sa amin. Unang una, wala na kaming masyadong trabaho kundi i-review ang NEP. Masaya tayong lahat pagka ganoon (“Let’s be thankful if this is what will be included in the HOR version [of the budget] which will be transmitted to us, [the Senate]. First of all, we would have no work left to do but to review the NEP. We will all be happy if that’s the case),” said Lacson.

Last year, Lacson bared abuses and indiscretions in the 2019 budget and claimed that some congressmen and senators allegedly inserted billions of pesos of  “pork” in the budget.

President Rodrigo Duterte, on the other hand, vetoed P95.3 billion appropriations in the 2019 national budget, including the post-realignment manipulations questioned by Lacson and the Senate. /gsg