Lacson defends flood control probe report amid lack of support from colleagues

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Tuesday, May 5, delivered a chairman’s progress report on the Senate blue ribbon committee’s flood control probe, even as it failed to secure enough votes needed for formal filing.

“While the partial committee report circulated to the committee members nearly three months ago remains pending for sponsorship, I cannot ignore the public’s urgent demand for transparency regarding the flood control scandal,” Lacson said in a privilege speech.

He said the report was based on several hearings that started as early as August 19, 2025, but noted that only seven senators had signed it so far. Nine signatures are required for the filing and sponsorship of a committee report.

Aside from Lacson, the six others who have signed the report are Senate President Vicente Sotto III and senators Raffy Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo, Bam Aquino, Kiko Pangilinan, and Risa Hontiveros — all members of the majority.

Despite signing the report, Senator Raffy Tulfo has reservations. Raffy said he “cannot, in good conscience, agree with the recommendation that narrows the scope of further investigation to a handful of our colleagues in this chamber.”

Several senators, including Chiz Escudero, Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, and Mark Villar, have been linked to the flood control controversy. They allegedly received kickbacks from these government projects, which the senators denied.

Senator Raffy Tulfo said other government contractors and members of the House of Representatives should also be recommended for further investigation.

Lacson also defended the report, saying the panel had given members enough time to review the more than 400-page document.

In the report, Lacson laid out the committee’s findings on what he described as a systemic corruption scheme involving flood control projects, ghost and substandard works, kickbacks, and collusion among officials and contractors.

At the same time, he pushed for reforms such as stricter procurement rules, better oversight, stronger whistleblower protection, and possible scrapping of unprogrammed funds.

Unprogrammed appropriations (UA) were used to fund flood control projects, which were later flagged as anomalous. This led to the reduction of UA in the 2026 budget.

Lacson stressed that the report is not a final judgment. “Hindi po ito isang hatol,” he said, adding that the committee’s role is to establish findings that could help authorities determine probable cause and pursue legal action. – Rappler.com