Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson resigned on Monday, Oct. 6, as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, citing tensions over its investigation into questionable flood control projects.
In a letter to Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Lacson said he was stepping down from the Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations—commonly known as the Blue Ribbon Committee—after some senators expressed disapproval of the inquiry’s direction.
“In the course of the current investigation, which has implicated some senators in the flood control mess, a number of our colleagues have expressed disappointment with the ‘direction’ of the Blue Ribbon Committee,” Lacson wrote.
He also addressed claims that he was targeting fellow senators while allegedly shielding House members linked to budget anomalies.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. This narrative is categorically false,” he said. “These misrepresentations are being floated mostly by critics opposed to our efforts to get to the bottom of the flood control anomalies. We go where the evidence leads us, not by the noise coming from highly partisan political persuasions.”
Lacson emphasized that his role as chair was based on the trust of the majority bloc and denied any political motives behind the hearings.
“There are no political considerations in any of my actions related to the committee’s work,” he said. “I do not need to amass political capital, much less at the expense of anybody, because I entertain no further political plans after my term ends in 2031.” (Hannah Torregoza)
