It was his opposition to "pork" insertions that led to the removal of P8.3 billion from the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in 2017. Lacson said it was a redundancy and a violation of the Organic Act, as the fund was meant for projects in the ARMM but was placed under the DPWH. The amount was then transferred to the Commission on Higher Education to fund free college education.