Ping mulls flood hearing reboot

Anticipating the inevitable, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Saturday expects to be back as head of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and to resume the investigation into the flood control projects with a “very important witness.”

The schedule will depend on Lacson’s reelection as Blue Ribbon Committee chairperson when the Senate resumes session on 10 November. He may be back on the chairman’s seat on 14 November.

Lacson stepped down from the post on 6 October following disagreements with his peers over the conduct of the hearings, with some members of the majority citing th eir “disappointment” over his handling of the proceedings.

“If elected again as Blue Ribbon chairman on 10 November, our hearing will resume on 14 November,” Lacson said in a post on X.

“To help speed up the filing of airtight cases against some politicians, DPWH officials, and errant contractors, we will invite, among others, a very important witness and retired T/Sgt. Orly Guteza to shed more light on his sworn statement,” he added.