Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson criticized what he called “skeptics, detractors, and hijackers” whom he accused of deliberately spreading misinformation and exploiting the hearings of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee amid its ongoing investigation into alleged corruption in flood control projects.
Lacson said some groups and personalities are using the Senate inquiry to malign certain individuals and mislead the public, instead of helping uncover the truth behind the reported irregularities.
In his opening statement at the hearing on Monday, January 19, Lacson took aim at detractors who have labeled the Blue Ribbon Committee as “useless,” calling such remarks an “insult” not only to the senators involved but also to Filipinos who have closely followed the probe.
“Let this serve as a warning to skeptics, detractors, and hijackers who exploit the vulnerabilities and anger of our people to deepen the fault lines of our nation during these trying times. Your noise will not silence the truth. Your noise cannot convict and won’t even indict the malefactors in this flood control mess. Only evidence does,” Lacson said.
“Para ipangalandakan ninyo na inutil at walang silbi ang Blue Ribbon Committee is not only insensitive to its members but an insult to our fellow Filipinos who have consistently followed and monitored our hearings and participated in the trillion peso march, the clergy, students, ordinary workers, and all concerned citizens who became aware and exposed to unbridled and systemic corruption, mainly made possible by the Blue Ribbon Committee hearings, and the media who served as a powerful tool in bringing to the households, eateries, barbershops, etc., the details of each and every hearing of your Blue Ribbon Committee,” he added.
“As the chairman of this committee, I say to you, shut the F up. Let us now resume our hearings,” Lacson said.
He stressed that, contrary to claims by critics, the Blue Ribbon Committee has made significant progress since the flood control scandal surfaced in 2025.
Lacson said the Senate probe has already led to cases being filed before the Sandiganbayan and regular courts, as well as ongoing investigations by the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice (DOJ).
As of the latest count, at least PHP 21.7 billion worth of bank accounts and other assets linked to the alleged scam have been frozen by order of the Court of Appeals, while several individuals have entered the Witness Protection Program (WPP).
He stressed that the purpose of the hearings is to expose corruption, ensure accountability, and protect public funds, not to serve personal or political interests. The senator added that the hearings uncovered systemic misuse of public funds involving high-ranking officials across the executive and legislative branches.
"Your committee became the stage for shocking and scathing revelations made by the key actors of the flood control scam. We conducted these hearings with such fairness and integrity that those with the truth felt motivated to come forward to testify, while others became tentative and unsure of which path to take," he noted.
"We always go where the evidence leads us. We do not target any particular person, nor do we have the intention to cover up for anybody," Lacson emphasized.
Former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan was also present in the hearing, who is accused of providing incorrect coordinates for flood control projects.
Meanwhile, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste was also present, as the committee is expected to discuss the controversial “Cabral Files,” which allegedly detail project insertions and proponents in past national budgets.
