Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson pushed back against former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano’s defense of the chamber’s spending during his 28-day leadership, insisting that the issue was not routine operating costs but what he described as a lack of legislative output.
Cayetano, in a Facebook Live session, had argued that the Senate’s estimated daily operating expense of about ₱25 million would have been incurred regardless of who held the presidency.
Lacson rejected this framing, saying the focus should be on performance during the period in question.
“Tama naman — ‘Whoever was SP noon, ganun din ang gastos…’ Pero, output ang pinag-uusapan: trabaho sa plenaryo, hindi boycott; magpasa ng batas, hindi mag-livestream sa Facebook. At kung ayaw tumulong, huwag na lang manggulo. Kaya nga sayang ang pera, kasi zero output,” Lacson said in a post on X.
He reiterated earlier remarks accusing Cayetano of presiding over a period of dysfunction in the Senate, which he said resulted in legislative inactivity.
Lacson cited several incidents during the period, including a shooting incident inside the Senate shortly after Cayetano assumed the presidency, the escape of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa while under what he described as “protective custody,” a boycott of sessions by a bloc aligned with Cayetano, and what he called “bogus committee hearings.”
He estimated that Senate operations during the 28-day period amounted to about P700 million in public spending, based on a reported daily cost of approximately P25 million under the 2026 General Appropriations Act.
“As per estimate made by the erstwhile Finance committee chairman, now SP Gatchalian, under the 2026 GAA, the Senate spends approximately P25 million per day — salaries, allowances, MOOE, etc. Multiply that by 28 days of inaction and inactivity, it’s P700 million,” Lacson said.
The political tension in the chamber eased on June 3, when a group of 12 senators reportedly formed a quorum and elected Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as acting Senate President. Gatchalian was later formally elected Senate President during a special session on June 17.