By Lane Afable, News Editor
Efforts to keep the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s findings on the flood control scandal from reaching the public will fail because the public won’t forget the issue, Senate President Pro Tempore and Blue Ribbon Chairman Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Saturday.
Lacson said this is why he has scheduled a privilege speech next week to present his Chairman’s Progress Report – after the panel’s partial report still could not get enough signatures to reach the plenary.
“Our people are angry and will not forget the issue.
“It will take decades before the issue is gone from the public’s memory. I called the flood control scandal ‘Napoles 2’ but this is much worse and it’s no laughing matter,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino in an interview on DZMM radio.
“As Blue Ribbon Chairman I owe it to the Filipino people to update them on what happened after seven to eight hearings.
“This is because many are not updated and especially because there are false narratives being spread that we are covering up for some persons and targeting others.
“And another compelling reason is that the partial committee report’s contents have been overtaken by events,” he added.
He was referring to the case of Janet Lim-Napoles in the early 2010s, where lawmakers received cuts for ghost projects, with Napoles keeping 35 percent and spending 15 percent for “paperwork.”
“Filipinos won’t forget the flood control scandal especially because lives and livelihoods were lost,” Lacson said.
Lacson noted that while the Blue Ribbon Committee had prepared a partial report last February containing its findings so far, it could not get the needed signatures to be reported out and sponsored in plenary.
He said that while he respects the positions of senators who did not sign the partial report, he disagrees with their reasoning that they have disagreements with portions of the partial report.
“It is our duty as members of committees, not just the Blue Ribbon Committee, to sign a committee report and indicate whether we will interpellate, will amend, have reservations or will submit a separate report or opinion. We should not refuse to sign just to block the report from reaching the plenary,” he said.
Lacson said he may deliver his privilege speech on May 4 or 5 where he would present the Chairman’s Progress Report containing the panel’s findings on the flood control scandal. He noted the privilege speech may also contain other documents or pieces of evidence not tackled in the previous hearings.
Once the privilege speech is delivered, he said he may share the contents of the Chairman’s Progress Report with other agencies including the Department of Justice and Ombudsman in their case buildup.
This will also pave the way for the resumption of hearings on the matter.
Lacson said he plans to invite, among others, lawmakers including former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
He said he may also invite former Gov. Luis Singson although Singson has yet to furnish the panel with a copy of his draft affidavit – as well as at least six former soldiers who claimed to deliver huge amounts of cash to certain personalities.
When asked when the Blue Ribbon panel can resume hearings, he said this could be “within the last leg” of the first regular session – or before it adjourns sine die on June 6.
He said the panel will balance its hearings with the possible impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
“Assuming the Articles of Impeachment are transmitted to the Senate, we will have to think of making mornings vacant during the impeachment trial and during session days, so we can hold committee hearings,” he said.
