Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, who is engaged in a battle for leadership of the chamber against Senate Pro Tempore Win Gatchalian, accused Senator Panfilo Lacson of using the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee he headed as a political weapon in collusion with the Palace.

Lacson selectively pursued cases against administration critics while covering up the culpability of Malacañang allies in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal, he asserted.

In a video address over social media, Cayetano said some of his colleagues approached him to provide evidence of what he described as a pattern of selective prosecution within the majority-controlled committee.

Among the materials that Cayetano claimed were shown to him were documents indicating that Lacson had colluded with the administration to build criminal cases against Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva and others, while suppressing findings that pointed upward to Malacañang.

Lacson served as the Blue Ribbon Committee chairperson, presiding over the Senate investigation into alleged anomalies in flood-control projects.

He issued a partial report that failed to secure the required signatures. It was circulated among committee members as early as February 2026, but only seven senators had signed as of 5 May, short of the nine needed for filing and sponsorship of a committee report.

The two missing signatures prevented formal submission for floor debates.

“There had been cover-ups within the majority. They showed me things, in which the evidence I will release later, but basically what they were saying was that Senator Lacson had colluded with the administration to build a case against Jinggoy, (Senator) Chiz (Escudero), Joel, etcetera, regardless of whether there was zero truth, partial truth, or whatever,” he indicated

“There were things that had been covered up — from the masterminds down to the lower levels,” Cayetano said, adding that he plans to release evidence to support the allegations.

He drew a pointed contrast in how Lacson handled witnesses. A witness deemed unreliable when it came to potential exposure of administration-aligned figures was, he said, considered credible when used against the likes of Estrada and Villanueva.

Rival warned

Cayetano addressed Gatchalian directly in his statement, urging caution. “Senator Win should be careful. He has a bright future. He should not allow himself to be used by Malacañang and his companions, even if they are offering him a high position.”

He closed with a piece of advice he attributed to a mentor: “Receive, don’t grab.”

“I did not grab the Senate presidency in 2016. I did not grab it in 2025. I did not grab it in February 2026. But by God’s grace, it came to me,” he said.

“It is very hard, but I offer you a solution, Senator Sherwin. Let’s have a meeting because I have a solution in mind. Let us determine who the real Senate President is. As the three books that I am holding (Senate Rules Booklet, Philippine Constitution, and the Holy Bible) say, the real Senate President was the one elected by 13 Senators,” Cayetano said during his live broadcast over Facebook.

Cayetano maintained that he is the legitimate Senate leader and quoted the Constitution, saying, “The Senate shall elect its President and the House of Representatives its Speaker by majority votes of all its members.”

13 remains magic number

“The Constitution gives power to the Senate Rules, which both say that votes should be 13. If there are no 13 votes, then you are fake,” Cayetano said in Filipino.

He also lambasted Senator Sherwin Tulfo for saying he would order the arrest of senators who would hold a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing other than his, having been elected chairman under the Gatchalian wing with 12 votes.

“Even during Martial Law, no official ever said, ‘I’ll grab him by the collar and personally arrest him,’ or anything of that sort. Incredibly, you have a human being speaking like that. With a senator in that kind of mental state, and if he becomes the chairman, no one can guarantee your safety there,” he said.

Tulfo, who will spearhead a separate Blue-Ribbon Committee hearing on the flood-control controversy tomorrow, 8 June, said all Senators are invited to attend.

Cayetano continued his criticism of Lacson, blaming him for tarnishing the Senate’s reputation.

“It was you who wrecked the Senate through false witness testimony using the Blue Ribbon against our colleagues. Every time the truth is about to come out, our institutions are being weakened,” he said.

He also said that the bottom line of the Senate impasse is the fear of having another Duterte administration.

“What is happening now is that, for fear of another Duterte administration, people are simply siding with Malacañang,” he said, saying that former staunch critics of the Marcos family are now leaning towards President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., namely Senators Bam Aquino and Riza Hontiveros, and former Senate President Franklin Drilon, among others.

“Do you want a Senate that will cover up the truth?” he asked.

Palace lapdogs

He maintained that the Gatchalian bloc has the backing of Malacañang.

“The problem with Malacañang is that they are bending the law and the Constitution, which is weakening institutions,” Cayetano said, referring to the legitimacy of the quorum of 12 that the Gatchalian wing is fighting for and holding on to.

Cayetano said that when he was tasked with being the leader of the Senate, he had to say yes, although he knew he “wouldn’t enjoy the perks, face complaints, be jailed and intimidated.”

“But I have to be strong and put my whole faith in God,” he said.

Cayetano also recounted an episode when his bloc moved to install Senator Loren Legarda as an alternative for the Senate leadership, with what he referred to as a 14-vote commitment, the effort died down after a wave of calls from administration intermediaries warning senators to withdraw their support in exchange for the dropping of pending charges.

“Those with pending cases were being called and told, ‘Just do not vote for Loren, withdraw your support, and you will no longer be charged,’” he said, adding that he personally witnessed one such conversation when a high official called a senator right in front of him.

Intermediary met

Cayetano said he attempted to broker a resolution in March, when he met separately with a person he described as close to the President and a “very, very high official.”

He conveyed three conditions, which are a genuine government response to the economic crisis brought on by conflicts in the Middle East, which he said Malacañang was slow to acknowledge, a promise only to weigh impeachment evidence fairly rather than predetermine.