Malacañang on Sunday warned that participants in the controversial Blue Ribbon Committee hearing conducted by the bloc of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano could face criminal complaints, including usurpation of authority and libel, as the battle over Senate control intensified.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the hearing conducted last week was not an official Senate proceeding and therefore carried potential legal consequences for those who organized it and those who made allegations during the session.

“There is usurpation of authority, and those who spoke there — it wasn’t an official hearing — they could be charged with libel,” Castro said in a radio interview.

Cayetano, who insists he remains Senate president despite efforts by the bloc of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian to remove him, defended the hearing and argued that stopping the investigation would bury the truth behind the multibillion-peso flood control controversy.

“But is it okay with you that the Senate will be changed? Are you okay that the truth behind flood control will not come out?” Cayetano said during a Facebook Live broadcast on Saturday.

The leadership dispute erupted after a Senate session attended by 12 senators declared key positions vacant and elected Gatchalian as Senate president pro tempore, who is now serving as acting Senate president.

‘Pound’ or ‘go live’

Cayetano and his allies reject the move as unconstitutional and continue to assert authority over several Senate committees, including the Blue Ribbon Committee.

The controversy escalated further after Cayetano accused former Blue Ribbon chairman Panfilo Lacson of presenting false testimony in earlier flood control investigations.

Lacson fired back on Sunday.

“When you’re strong on the law, pound the law. When you’re strong on the facts, pound the facts. When you’re weak on both, you just go on Facebook Live,” Lacson said.

Former Senate President Vicente Sotto III also disclosed that he is studying possible complaints against some of the witnesses and individuals who allegedly prepared them for testimony.

Sotto said those who “brought and coached” some of the 18 former bodyguards of former Representative Elizaldy Co could face legal action.

A group of lawyers is likewise studying possible usurpation of authority complaints against Senators Rodante Marcoleta and Pia Cayetano.

‘Stitched’ yarn

Castro also attacked the credibility of the witnesses who testified before the hearing, saying their accounts were riddled with inconsistencies.

“The President is too busy to pay this any mind. He knows that they are not telling the truth. First of all, there are so many holes in their story. The story told by the 18 trashmen or 18 maleta boys seems to have been stitched together just so they have something to say,” she said.

As the dispute deepened, Gatchalian said the same witnesses and resource persons had been invited to appear before the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing scheduled Monday under Senator Erwin Tulfo.

“Everyone will be invited. So, all senators,” Gatchalian said.