THE leftist Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives on Saturday called on Sen. Panfilo Lacson to investigate President Marcos over his possible involvement in the flood control bribery scheme and subject former Public Works and Palace officials to “rigorous questioning” when Blue Ribbon Committee hearings resume. The statement comes after Lacson, in a statement on Friday, said that he wants to “step up his campaign” against corruption in 2026, stressing that Filipinos expect no less from their public servants. His statement comes after both the House and the Senate have ratified the 2026 General Appropriations Act on Dec. 29, and is now undergoing review by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “The President should also not be shielded from scrutiny and should not be prematurely absolved from his liability,” the bloc said in a statement released Saturday. The Makabayan bloc is composed of ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Sarah Jane Elago, and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Louise Co. Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, meanwhile, said that the House Appropriations Committee has yet to release the full details of the DPWH allocations per congressional district and per party-list in the 2026 budget, which he has been requesting since Oct. 13. He said that if the House enforced nominal voting on the ratified bill, he could have voted no for the measure. “Until the voting of the ratification of the Bicam last Dec. 29, it was not released, so what are they hiding? Why don’t they release it?” Tiangco told The Manila Times in a phone interview. Tiangco also hopes that his proposed Independent Commission against Infrastructure Corruption (Icaic) will be passed this year, as the bill is now at the Committee on Appropriations before it goes to the House Plenary on Second Reading. The Icaic is designed to replace the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, which lost three key members in the remaining months of 2025. “[This bill is] important so that the Icaic would be given teeth,” Tiangco said. Tiangco also pushed for increased transparency in the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of House members after Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste said that some lawmakers received P2 million for their “Christmas funds” in their districts. The Navotas lawmaker said that aside from Christmas funds, P1.5 million was received by lawmakers during All Saints’ Day and P1.5 million during the Easter breaks as “bonuses.” Tiangco said the system has already been in place even before the current administration, even dating back to 2010 when he first became a congressman. “The only problem was there was a denial. I think that was the problem; it was not transparent, so I urge the House to release the full details of the MOOE, because not all MOOE went to congressmen,” Tiangco said. Meanwhile, former BH Party-list representative Bernadette Herrera warned that removing lawmakers from the delivery of medical assistance without first fixing the system in private hospitals could endanger patients and widen gaps in health care access. Under the 2026 budget, the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (Maifip), which is at P51 billion in the 2026 spending plan, will not be used by politicians under a special provision in the proposal. But Herrera noted that in private hospitals, patients face massive bills without a social service office, a Malasakit-type center, or clear guidance on how to access government aid, unlike in public hospitals.