Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has always projected himself as a fearless anti-corruption advocate. The fearless, I wouldn’t be too sure about. I witnessed in Malacañang at the height of the so-called EDSA 2 revolt how Ping — then the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief — smartly saluted President Erap as he begged leave from a crisis meeting. His reason? “To secure Camp Crame,” the PNP national headquarters. He then proceeded to do a volte face and withdrew his support from Erap.

Since the time of President Macapagal-Arroyo, Senator Ping has investigated one government scam after another, even turning against his political mentor Erap once more when he said that Erap was the mastermind of the Dacer-Corbito double murder. Earning the applause of the Filipino people, he effortlessly got himself reelected time and again as a senator.

But, to paraphrase the Gen Z’ers, “wat hafend, Pinky?”

The old fire is gone, fully extinguished, it appears, replaced by the old-style politics of sound over substance. After a sudden Senate coup that saw him replacing Senator Marcoleta — who was getting too close for comfort to the Palace in his probe of the Floodgate scandal — as Senate Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) chair, Lacson boldly proclaimed that he would go where the evidence would lead.

Alas, it was a declaration “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing,” as Shakespeare said.

No sooner had he taken the helm of the BRC that Lacson — complicit with Wanbol University law school dean Tito Sotto — reversed the vital act of Marcoleta of putting the Discayas under witness protection after they mentioned the name of Martin Romualdez.

Then in walked Justice Secretary Boying Remulla with his fairy tale of restitution as a requisite for becoming a protected witness. After that, Lacson started his cover-up of the Palace denizens’ participation in “Floodgate” with all the subtlety and finesse of the Taliban slamming two airliners into the Twin Towers.

Lacson harangued and harassed witnesses giving testimonies that painted the wrong narrative, even to the extent of himself answering questions propounded to witnesses. He prejudged the credibility of resource persons and the relevance of certain issues, often getting into a tiff with his predecessor in the BRC over the propriety of his dubious methods.

A scandalized public let out a collective “aha!” when it was later revealed by eighteen former Marines and military men who had been aides of former Representative Zaldy Co (tagged as the implementor of the flood control scam) that Lacson was one of the many lawmakers to whom suitcases bursting with cash were delivered.

Lacson, of course, denied this, even taking the ludicrous effort to compute how high the cash would have stacked up — as high as a commercial jet flies, he said. As if bagmen would put one bill on top of the other ad coelum (up to the heavens). Even now, he refuses to call the eighteen to testify, notwithstanding that attached to their affidavit are videos and photos of “maleta” deliveries.

No one expects anything more from the BRC now except for more bull crap. The same kind that the much-decimated “Independent” Commission on Infrastructure has churned out, except in greater volume and with stronger stink.

For the proverbial mess of potage, Ping has very quickly ruined his reputation, presiding over what can now only be described as a Bull Ribbon Committee.