MANILA; Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said on Saturday that he had unequivocally rejected an alleged P5 million allocation fund offered to him by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).
Lacson said he would seek an explanation when the Senate debates Tesda’s proposed 2027 budget in plenary in November.
“When TESDA’s proposed 2027 budget comes up for plenary debate, I will seek clarification on the P5-million fund offer made to me through my Senate staff early this week,” the senator said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“I declined unequivocally,” he emphasised.
He shared screenshots on his personal account showing the alleged offer, which he said came from the office of Tesda Secretary and Director General Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez through a person identified as Stephanie.
Lacson said he had considered conducting an entrapment or sting operation to identify those behind the offer.
“Maybe they thought I’m ‘standard practice.’ They didn’t know me. Now they do,” he said.
However, he decided against pursuing the plan because he felt sorry for Stephanie, who he said appeared to be following instructions.
The Senate's second regular session will resume on November 9.
Lacson previously said he would scrutinise the P7.2 trillion 2027 budget bill passed by the House of Representatives and consider proposing budget cuts of about P2 billion.
He also said he wanted to examine potential “red flags” in the House-approved version of next year's budget, including foreign-assisted projects.
