(NI NOEL ABUEL)

WALA umanong planong tumigil at sumuko si Senador Panfilo Lacson sa pagbubulgar nito sa mga kapwa mambabatas na sangkot sa manipulasyon sa 2019 national budget.

“My critics would claim I am just making a lot of noise but I do not let such negative comments affect, much less stop me. This is my biggest advocacy because the budget is the lifeblood of the nation. If this blood is taken away, the nation may suffer from anemia, or even a stroke,” sabi pa ni Lacson.

Aniya, bahagi ng trabaho nito bilang senador ang pag-usisa sa national budget upang matiyak na magagamit ito sa tamang paraan lalo na at pera ito ng taumbayan.

“If by exposing all attempts by some lawmakers to go around the Supreme Court ruling declaring pork as unconstitutional, thus stymieing the selfish interests of those elected to perform their legislative duty, I’ll be able to sleep soundly at night knowing that I’ve done my share in guarding against unnecessary wastage of public funds that has prevented our country from taking off and become competitive,” dagdag pa nito.

Simula umano noong 2003 kung saan sinimulan nito ang pag-usisa sa national budget ay tuloy pa rin ang nangyayaring kurapsyon sa pondo.

“It’s bad enough that much is lost to corruption. But it’s worse that more is lost to incompetence, where the lack of planning leads to the haphazard – and potentially deadly – implementation of projects,” sabi ni Lacson.

“We pay our taxes and some of us even go hungry because we do not have enough left to buy basic necessities. A recent post about a pupil using an improvised ball pen because he could not afford one went viral. Why do such things happen? Because there are those who steal from the budget,” dagdag pa nito.