A press release from Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson arrived Saturday on news desks talking of defective and ghost flood control projects that — outside of the senator’s take — have dragged no less than the name of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as being among those who allegedly received billions in kickbacks.
By the second paragraph of Lacson’s statement, however, it became clear that the flood control report was sharing billing with somebody and something else: Sen. Erwin Tulfo and his decision to sign it.
Lacson used the release to thank Tulfo for confirming in a podcast interview that he signed the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s partial report on the flood control scandal despite pressure from some fellow senators.
The subject was flood control, but the mood was one of gratitude.
“Thank you Sen. Erwin for speaking the truth to confirm what I had thought all along was the real reason — bakit inamag at tuluyan nang napanis ang BRC partial report. Quo vadis, Philippine Senate (Thank you Sen. Erwin for speaking the truth to confirm what I had thought all along was the real reason — why the partial report was left to go stale and become spoiled. Where do you go from here, Philippine Senate)?” Lacson said citing his post on X.
For readers who may have forgotten amid the exchange of appreciation, the report concerns alleged anomalies involving defective and ghost flood control projects, an issue that has already sent former Senator Bong Revilla and Senator Jinggoy Estrada to jail to stand trial before the Sandiganbayan.
Tulfo, who became chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee following a “leadership change” on 3 June, said in an interview with broadcast journalist Jessica Soho that some of his colleagues became angry with him for signing the report.
At the time, Tulfo was the panel’s vice chairman.
According to Tulfo, some colleagues attempted to discourage him from signing because “kasama natin kawawa (some of our colleagues would be put on the spot).”
Tulfo nevertheless signed. “Hindi ko naman pwedeng ipikit-pikit (I cannot just close my eyes),” he said.
Lacson had earlier explained that the report needed at least nine signatures before it could be sponsored on the Senate floor, where it could be debated, amended and eventually adopted.
The report secured seven.
Tulfo said that did not affect his decision. “Sabi ko, nakakahiya sa tao (I said it would be a shame to erstwhile Blue Ribbon Chairman Sen. Lacson),” he said.
The release noted that Tulfo’s brother, Sen. Raffy Tulfo, along with Lacson and four other senators, also signed the report.
At this point, the press release had managed to mention flood control, committee procedure, Senate politics and Sen. Erwin Tulfo’s loyalty to principle, not necessarily in that order.
Despite falling short of the required number of signatures, the report’s contents eventually entered the Senate’s official records after Lacson presented a Chairman’s Progress Report through a privilege speech on 5 May.
In that speech, Lacson presented evidence and policy recommendations aimed at addressing what he described as the “systematic and parasitic greed” behind anomalous flood control projects.
Whether the report ultimately advances remains uncertain. What is certain is that few committee reports receive a second life through a public expression of gratitude.
On Saturday, at least, the flood control report did not flow alone. JD