Exposé

For more than four years, key health programs were denied funding from "sin taxes," or excise taxes from alcohol and tobacco products - no thanks to the delayed implementation of the sin tax law.

The allegations of bribery and collusion in infrastructure projects funded by the World Bank led anew to the doorstep of Malacanang, after excerpts of a World Bank report obtained by Lacson cited contractors who said bribes must pass through influential personalities such as First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and some politicians, including a former senator.

In January, Lacson warned of a possible violation of the 1987 Constitution in the P1.415-trillion budget for 2009, involving a presidential veto on cuts in debt service payments.

As early as March 2004, Lacson accused Malacanang of virtual vote buying, using P728 million in government funds to ensure the support of governors, congressmen and mayors for President Arroyo's presidential bid in May.

In September 2008, an innocent question by Lacson about a P200-million double entry for a stretch of road between Paranaque City and the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) in the P1.227-trillion budget for 2008 led to the doorstep not of Malacanang but of then Senate President Manuel Villar Jr.