Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson was reelected on Tuesday as chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee, which is investigating alleged corruption in the government’s flood control projects.
No senator objected when Sen. JV Ejercito moved to reinstate Lacson, prompting Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III to declare his reelection.
“Any objection? Chair hears none. Sen. Lacson is hereby elected,” Sotto announced during the session.
Lacson previously resigned from the post last month after some senators expressed discontent over how the investigation was being handled. In his October 7 resignation letter to Sotto, Lacson said several colleagues believed he was “zeroing in on” some senators while allegedly sparing House members implicated in the supposed budget anomalies involving substandard and ghost flood control projects.
Several lawmakers, including senators, have been accused of receiving kickbacks from contractors in exchange for infrastructure allocations.
Despite the controversy, Lacson’s colleagues from both sides of the Senate expressed support for his reinstatement. Ejercito, who earlier said he might leave the majority bloc, was among those who backed Lacson’s return.
With Lacson back at the helm, the blue ribbon committee is set to resume its hearings this Friday, November 14, with a “very important witness” expected to appear.
“All systems go,” Lacson told reporters, confirming that the witness “will arrive” and has already prepared a draft affidavit.
He added that the new testimony could “wrap up everything that can or needs to be known leading up to prosecution and conviction.”
Aside from the witness, 19 members of the House of Representatives, including former Speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, have also been invited to attend the hearing. The invitations will be sent through the office of Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, Lacson said.
The upcoming session is expected to shed more light on the alleged anomalies in the multi-billion-peso flood control projects.
