“Hindi naman ako ang nagbago…ang nagbago si Senator Marcoleta kasi nawala siya sa hulog,” says Lacson.
This was the response of Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson to Senator Rodante Marcoleta after the latter claimed that Lacson had changed, insisting that Marcoleta was the one who had “gone off track” and was “no longer in sync with reality.”
The exchange came after Marcoleta expressed disappointment over Lacson’s conduct following the latter’s presentation of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s progress report on the controversial flood control investigation on May 5.
“Talaga pong hinangaan ko dati si Sen. Lacson... yung kaniyang kagustuhan na maayos natin ang ating bansa. Pero bakit ngayon parang naiba. Parang 'yung pedestal na aking hinangaan, unti-unting gumuho,” Marcoleta said.
Lacson, however, dismissed the remarks and suggested that Marcoleta may have been driven by resentment after losing his chairmanship of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
“Nag-speculate ako na baka sumama ang loob niya dahil dalawang hearings lang, napalitan na siya. Sana maging BFF uli kami, yung totoong BFF,” Lacson said.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, May 6, Lacson reiterated that the root of their disagreement stemmed from the leadership change in the Blue Ribbon Committee.
“‘Yun ang pinag-ugatan ng pagiging BFF naming dalawa. Sa akin lang ito, parang hindi niya matanggap na napalitan siyang Blue Ribbon [chairman],” he said.
“Kaya lang naman ako nag-speculate na baka ‘yun ‘yung sama ng loob niya kasi dalawang hearings lang, napalitan na siya. Sana maging BFF ulit kami na totoong BFF. There’s always a proper time for that,” the senator added.
Lacson also recalled that during earlier Senate coalition talks, Marcoleta had reportedly considered the Justice and Blue Ribbon committees as “non-negotiable” positions.
The Blue Ribbon Committee, which investigates government anomalies, was initially chaired by Marcoleta under then-Senate President Francis Escudero. When leadership shifted to Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, Lacson took over the committee as it began its probe into alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
Several sitting senators, including Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva—both considered allies of Marcoleta—were later linked to the investigation.
