MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Panfilo Lacson has proposed a bold reform to the national budgeting process in response to persistent allegations of corruption and irregularities in congressional insertions and realignments. His proposal: for the Senate to adopt the National Expenditure Program (NEP) as submitted by the Executive Department—without changes—for fiscal year 2026.

In a radio interview on DZRH Thursday evening, Lacson floated the idea as a one-year "experiment" aimed at breaking the cycle of post-submission amendments that have repeatedly opened the door to alleged pork barrel practices and corruption.

“For a change, why not have the Senate adopt the NEP so that if there are problems in implementing projects in 2026, it will be on the executive department,” Lacson said in Filipino.

Lacson proposes 'experiment' to prevent corruption in 2026 budget, This news data comes from:http://aqj-gfnx-srnm-kn.052298.com

“At least if it's the NEP, I’m sure the items in it were studied carefully by the implementing agencies concerned,” he added.

Lacson proposes 'experiment' to prevent corruption in 2026 budget