Lacson cites pressure from other senators as flood probe report stalls

Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairperson Ping Lacson on Thursday blamed internal pressure from some peers as the reason panel members are withholding their signatures on the partial report on the flood control probe.

The document in question recommends that the Ombudsman conduct further investigation into several members of Congress, including incumbent and former senators, due to their alleged links to the kickback scheme in flood control projects. 

The number of signatories to the report rose to six after Senate President Tito Sotto and BRC vice chair Erwin Tulfo signed it on Wednesday, though two others have already indicated their intent to sign. 

Lacson attributed the reluctance of other majority members to sign the document to the pressure of “some of their former majority bloc colleagues.”

He said some majority senators are being “requested” to withhold their signatures, though he did not elaborate on the reason or whether he was referring to minority members.

“I told SP Sotto earlier that I won’t plead with our fellow BRC members to affix their signatures on the partial committee report because I respect their individual decisions, whatever reasons they have in refusing to sign. Hence, SP Sotto promised to help in that regard," he said.

Aside from the aforementioned, other signatories include Lacson himself as well as Senators Risa Hontiveros, Kiko Pangilinan, and Bam Aquino. 

The BRC still needs three signatures to advance the partial report to the plenary for deliberations, amendments, and subsequent adoption.

The majority of the BRC senators who have yet to sign the report are Migz Zubiri, JV Ejercito, Pia Cayetano, Win Gatchalian, Lito Lapid, Loren Legarda, and Mark Villar. 

Under Senate rules, committee reports must be approved by the panel members and signed by a majority before they advance to the plenary for adoption.

Based on the leaked partial report, the BRC initially recommended that minority Senators Chiz Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, and Joel Villanueva, among others, be charged for plunder, malversation, and direct bribery over allegations that they received kickbacks from flood control projects.

The report, however, was later revised, although Lacson denied that the amendments were related to the brewing coup then in the Senate. The shakeup plot was reportedly pushed by the minority bloc to halt approval of the document in question, but the effort was unsuccessful. 

As early as January, the opposition bloc in the Senate registered a strong objection to the direction of the flood control probe by releasing a so-called “minority report.” 

The 576-page report contains testimonies from resource persons linking several top government officials to the flood control corruption, which minority senators argued the BRC failed to put under scrutiny through congressional summons.

Opposition Senators Imee Marcos and Rodante Marcoleta earlier accused Lacson of. deliberately ignoring “critical leads” that will point to the culpability of these officials, including ex-House Speaker Martin Romualdez. 

Lacson has long denied shielding Romualdez, asserting that while there is no concrete proof linking him to the scandal, he is not yet off the hook and can be summoned in the next hearings.

The BRC has suspended its investigation into the flood control probe until there are enough signatories to the partial report.