Blue Ribbon panel revises report, recommends no criminal charges vs senators: Lacson

The contentious Senate Blue Ribbon Committee report has been revised to recommend further investigation instead of the immediate filing of corruption charges against Senators Chiz Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, and Joel Villanueva, following a consensus reached by the majority bloc, panel chair Ping Lacson said Tuesday.

Earlier leaked drafts of the Blue Ribbon Committee report recommended that Escudero, Estrada, and Villanueva face plunder, malversation of public funds, direct bribery, and other charges over allegations that they received kickbacks from flood control projects.

Lacson said members of the majority bloc suggested revising the language of the report.

“They suggested maybe we can soften it without sacrificing the intent, substance,” Lacson said.

“We just specify it, that instead of using the word to be charged, [we changed it to] to undergo preliminary investigation, to undergo fact-finding investigation, to undergo case build-up,” he told reporters in a chance interview.

“Because we cannot recommend that charges be filed in court, only the Department of Justice and the Ombudsman are authorized to file the information for any person to be charged before the court,” he added.

Over the weekend, Lacson confirmed to the Daily Tribune that Escudero would no longer be included among lawmakers recommended to be charged, along with former House speaker Martin Romualdez, citing the lack of corroborative evidence to support claims that they received commissions from flood control projects.

He said, however, that their exclusion does not mean they are “off the hook,” as they will still be subjected to “further probe.”

Meanwhile, Lacson confirmed the retention of Estrada and Villanueva—both accused of receiving at least 30 percent “SOP,” or commissions, from flood control projects in Bulacan—among those recommended to face criminal charges under the revised report.

Why revised?

Lacson on Tuesday dismissed speculation that the amendments to the report were linked to a purported brewing coup in the Senate, allegedly being pushed by the minority bloc to block the report’s approval.

Escudero, Estrada, and Villanueva belong to the Senate opposition.

“We never deviated from the original intent of our committee report,” Lacson said. “[It has] nothing to do with the minority, we haven’t spoken with them yet.”

Last week, Senators Migz Zubiri, JV Ejercito, Win Gatchalian, and Erwin Tulfo withdrew their signatures from the partial report, citing the need for further evaluation.

As of Tuesday, Lacson said the report has not yet solicited signatures and will only be finalized and re-circulated on Wednesday. He expressed confidence, however, that it would still secure enough support for plenary consideration.

BRC critics slammed

The revised report drew mixed reactions, with critics accusing the committee of bias for excluding some lawmakers, including Romualdez, who were also accused of involvement in the flood control scam.

Lacson countered that the committee “cannot go beyond” the evidence presented during the hearings and challenged critics to submit proof if they believe other lawmakers should be included.

“It's easy to question why somebody is not included here, why someone is present here. Where's the evidence? We go by the evidence, which was gathered in the previous ribbon hearings,” he said.

On Monday, Senator Imee Marcos suggested that the alleged Senate coup was driven by waning internal support, as senators themselves—tasked with protecting the institution—are being targeted by the flood control investigation.