Lacson, Marcoleta clash over Romualdez invitation

Senators Panfilo Lacson and Rodante Marcoleta figured in a verbal spat anew on Monday after the latter insisted on summoning former House Speaker Martin Romualdez to the next flood control probe in the upper chamber, despite the so‑called inter‑parliamentary courtesy.

Lacson took strong offense at Marcoleta’s remarks that he should refrain from imposing any unnecessary conditions before calling Romualdez to the next Senate Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) investigation into the flood control anomalies.

This followed Romualdez’s recent statement that he would not allow himself to be a “scapegoat” or the “fall guy for other people’s corruption,” which Marcoleta interpreted as an indication that Romualdez was willing to name all the personalities involved in the flood control corruption.

“This anomaly cannot be done by only one person. That means that he really knows something, and he should be summoned now. If you sum it up, the Blue Ribbon’s role is to analyze it, and it’s very clear from the public statement of former Speaker Martin Romualdez that he’s ready to talk. So call him now. I just don’t understand what the chairman of the BRC wants to do,” Marcoleta said in a radio interview.

Lashing out at Marcoleta, Lacson said that members of Congress are accorded inter‑parliamentary courtesy, under which lawmakers from one chamber cannot be compelled to attend hearings in the other unless they choose to appear of their own volition.

“That’s why the Senate always routes all invitations to congressmen to appear at our committee hearings through the Speaker of the House — which the BRC has done at least twice. That’s why it’s called a time‑honored tradition. Hasn’t this still gotten into his (Marcoleta’s) head?” Lacson told reporters in a message.

An inter‑parliamentary courtesy is a longstanding practice in Congress, where the House and Senate accord each other respect and avoid meddling in each other’s internal affairs. It remains unclear whether Romualdez’s camp invoked this tradition to justify his no‑show in the previous hearings.

The powerful committee invited Romualdez in November last year and again last January to testify on alleged budget anomalies tied to the kickback scheme in the flood control projects.

The invitations were routed through the Office of Speaker Faustino Dy, but Lacson said they were honored.

Despite this, Lacson has remained open to inviting Romualdez to subsequent BRC hearings.

Lacson suspended the flood control probe pending the majority’s approval of the BRC’s partial report, which recommends that senators Chiz Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva be subject to further investigation following allegations that they received millions in kickbacks from flood control projects.

However, the report still lacks three signatures from the 17‑member panel to advance to the plenary for deliberation and adoption, as some senators, particularly from the minority, criticized it as biased for excluding House lawmakers implicated in the corruption scheme.

As of Monday, Marcoleta remained adamant about not signing the report, raising concerns that Lacson may prematurely terminate the investigation once the report gains enough backing.

“Because, as they say, we need to ensure that no stone is left unturned and that we identify them all. Once we have identified everything and the report turns out well, I will sign it,” Marcoleta said.

Last week, Romualdez broke his silence by releasing an 11‑minute video statement denying involvement in the supposed insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Act, which was tied to the kickback scheme in the flood control projects.