Lacson quits Blue Ribbon; Sotto next?

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Sunday announced he was quitting as chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee amid growing rumblings within the chamber over his handling of the investigation into alleged multibillion-peso irregularities in flood control projects.

In a radio interview, Lacson said he was already preparing his resignation letter to be read during the Senate plenary session, saying, “since all chairpersons of the Senate committees are elected by our peers, I serve at the pleasure of my colleagues, particularly the members of the majority.”

“Rightly or wrongly, when quite a number of them have expressed disappointment over how I’m handling the flood control project anomalies, I thought it’s time for me to step aside in favor of another member who they think can handle the committee better,” Lacson said.

“No amount of criticisms from misinformed netizens and partisan sectors can distract or pressure me from doing my job right, but when my own peers start expressing their group or individual sentiments, maybe it is best to vacate,” he added.

He denied that he had been targeting fellow senators while allegedly protecting members of the House of Representatives perceived to be the “masterminds” of the flood control mess — including former Speaker Martin Romualdez and ex-Rep. Elizaldy Co.

“If you ask me, I would say I handled the hearings well. But there are those trying to disrupt the hearings. In one instance, the hearing had barely started when someone tried to make a distraction. That is why there is a perception that the hearings were not handled well,” Lacson said in Filipino.

Lacson had previously said that all senators of the previous 19th Congress had insertions in the 2025 national budget. Before his resignation, he also said the flood control project probe would be suspended indefinitely.

The suspension coincides with the Senate’s ongoing budget deliberations and the Commission on Appointments sessions. However, critics of Lacson see the postponement as a sellout.

Widening cracks

With Romualdez’s resignation as Speaker, the House of Representatives had stopped its parallel investigation on the so-called “Floodgate.”

And now, with the Senate probe also being put on hold, the only body left to investigate the scandal is the one created by the President himself — the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI).

The ICI’s partiality and independence have been questioned by many, including its resigned adviser, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, especially since it said it would not immediately make public its processes and findings.

Lacson’s resignation has reignited talks about widening cracks within the Senate majority — including questions about whether Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III can maintain his grip on the chamber’s leadership.

As chair of the powerful committee, Lacson had crossed swords with its former head, Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, who questioned his refusal to summon Co before the panel.

Lacson maintained that inviting sitting House members would violate “inter-parliamentary courtesy.”

“It is up to the senators or congressmen concerned to appear before their inquiries in aid of legislation. It is a tradition,” he said.

Marcoleta disagreed, recalling that when he chaired the Blue Ribbon Committee, “Navotas Lone District Rep. Toby Tiangco appeared in the past hearing upon my invitation.”

To which Lacson retorted, “Well, you can speak for yourself.”

On Friday, Sen. JV Ejercito revealed that he and four other senators had considered leaving the majority bloc, though no formal move has been made to unseat Sotto.

Ejercito told reporters via text message that he and others had thought of “being independent.” Asked why, he replied, “I think we are losing focus.”

‘Cover up’

The Senate inquiry has so far implicated Senators Francis Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, and Joel Villanueva, as well as resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Co, who formerly chaired the House Appropriations Committee.

All have denied wrongdoing, and none have been formally charged. Curiously, Romualdez’s name was not included in the complaint filed by the National Bureau of Investigation for case build up with the Department of Justice, also sparking talks of a “cover-up.”

Ejercito hinted that the probe should focus more sharply on the House of Representatives. “That’s where the modus started,” he said. “How can we introduce legislation to prevent occurrences of such if we don’t pursue?”

Senators Bam Aquino, Pia Cayetano, JV Ejercito, Win Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, Lito Lapid, Loren Legarda, Kiko Pangilinan, Raffy Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo, Mark Villar, Camille Villar, Migz Zubiri, and Lacson himself on 8 September ousted Senate President Chiz Escudero and replaced him with Sotto.

Both Lacson and Sotto had been accused of shielding the President’s cousin Romualdez, accused of receiving billions of pesos in flood control project kickbacks.