A handwritten note left by the late Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Cathy Cabral allegedly indicated that around P500 million worth of infrastructure projects had been allocated to Senator Rodante Marcoleta.
This was disclosed by Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson. However, he clarified that such allocations are not inherently illegal, stressing that the focus of the Senate inquiry is to determine whether any of the projects involved were ghost, substandard, or otherwise irregular.
Lacson said the Blue Ribbon Committee is currently verifying the contents of Cabral’s note as part of its ongoing investigation into alleged anomalies in flood control and other infrastructure projects.
He added that the committee’s findings, now part of public records following his privilege speech, will be forwarded to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice to support possible case-building efforts.
While Lacson did not publicly release all evidence gathered during seven committee hearings, citing Senate rules, he said his report allows authorities to use the information for further investigation.
At this stage, Lacson said Marcoleta is not being recommended for investigation, emphasizing that the mere allocation of projects, often referred to as “allocables,” does not constitute a crime.
“Requests for allocables may not be proper in my view, but they are not illegal. The issue arises when projects turn out to be substandard or nonexistent,” Lacson explained.
He pointed out that “allocables” are essentially a rebranded form of pork barrel, evolving over time into what are now called leadership funds or budget insertions.
Lacson also recalled receiving information about alleged irregularities during the 2022 confirmation of DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, when some lawmakers supposedly sought project allocations in exchange for supporting the appointment.
According to Lacson, a group of congressmen later approached him, claiming that one colleague had secured projects but failed to share them with others who were part of the Commission on Appointments panel.
“As narrated to me, they were asking for as much as P1.5 billion worth of projects, but only P500 million was granted, leaving others without any allocation,” he said.
The senator noted that the next phase of the investigation will involve closely examining project submissions linked to lawmakers to determine if any were poorly executed or non-existent.
He also revealed that Cabral had intended to discuss the matter with him before her passing.
In a separate interview, Lacson said a copy of Cabral’s handwritten note has yet to be submitted to the Ombudsman, but assured that it will be provided.
Lacson added that there is a strong possibility the Senate will conduct another hearing before the sine die adjournment on June 5, with “allocables” likely to be a central issue, particularly if evidence surfaces linking them to ghost or substandard projects.