Moving on to next chapter

Prefacing his statement with an “if,” Senate president Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson announced over the weekend he will reassume as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee. The ongoing recess of the 20th Congress has apparently given enough time for Lacson to rethink his decision to head again this powerful Senate body. It remains iffy until Lacson’s fellow senators decide in plenary whether or not to retain him as the head of the Blue Ribbon committee.

That decision will come when the lawmakers resume session after the Undas break.

“If elected again as Blue Ribbon chairman on Nov.10, our hearings will resume on Nov. 14,” Lacson announced in his official social media account.

At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto IIl reiterated Lacson’s resignation stemmed from the latter’s “frustrations” with some of their Senate colleagues. Without naming names, Sotto sought to mediate the misunderstanding that fanned out until they adjourned last Oct. 10 for the Undas recess.

Lacson resigned as Blue Ribbon head on Oct. 7, or three days before the Senate adjourned. Lacson resigned amid the reported dissatisfaction of fellow senators on how he handled the Senate investigation into the alleged “ghost” flood control projects. In a letter of resignation he addressed to the Senate president, Lacson explained why.

“Some senators publicly and secretly pursue the narrative that I am zeroing in on several of my colleagues while purportedly protecting those members of the Lower House perceived to be the principal actors in the budget anomalies related to the substandard and ghost flood control projects,” wrote Lacson. “This narrative is categorically false. These misrepresentations are being floated mostly by critics opposed to our efforts to get to the bottom of the flood control anomalies.”

The Blue Ribbon was originally chaired by neophyte Senator Rodante Marcoleta, who got elected to chair it when Sen. Chiz Escudero was the Senate president. Following the Senate leadership changes, Marcoleta was replaced by Lacson. The Blue Ribbon’s first case referral was, in fact, Lacson’s own privilege speech about the reported “ghost” flood control projects funded in the 2025 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Lacson took over from Marcoleta after the second public hearing on the “ghost” flood control projects.

Lacson is the second highest ranking senator next to Sotto as the incumbent Senate chief. “Sen. Lacson did not resign to save the (Senate) presidency, ‘king’s gambit’ as some claimed. Sen. Ping and I could only smile,” Sotto quipped.

Sotto and Lacson fondly call themselves the “macho” bloc. It’s not because of any masculine superiority they have over their Senate colleagues. It’s a play on words that the two senators proudly describe themselves as “macho-nurin,” or obedient or loyal to their respective wives.

More popularly known as the Blue Ribbon, the Senate committee on accountability of public officers and investigations is one of the most coveted chairmanships among the 42 standing Senate committees. Aside, of course, from the Senate presidency itself.

The alliance of Sotto and Lacson further got strengthened when they ran together as vice presidential and presidential candidates, respectively, during the May 2022 elections. As fate dictated, they lost their bids to the now defunct UniTeam of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte.

But the two of them made successful comeback bids in the Senate when they run and won under PBBM’s Alyansa sa Bagong Pilipinas in the last May 2025 mid-term elections.

Having forsworn publicly that he won’t be sucked in to the “pork-barrel” system in Congress since he first became senator in 2001, Lacson has the moral ascendancy to investigate fellow lawmakers implicated in the alleged congressional insertions and initiatives that “badly mangled” the 2025 budget law.

As the erstwhile top cop of the country, Sotto welcomed Lacson’s decision to reassert authority to investigate these reported shenanigans on the annual budget laws. From flood control, Sotto disclosed, the Blue Ribbon will expand its motu proprio inquiries into other state-funded farm-to-market roads, irrigation, school and classroom buildings and other infrastructure projects.

“I can assure you that the hearings and investigation of the Blue Ribbon will be continuing and it will be encompassing on all accountability of public officials,” Sotto vowed.

The Blue Ribbon is empowered to investigate alleged wrongdoings in the government, its officials and its attached agencies, including government owned and controlled corporations, “in aid of legislation.” This is the primary purpose of this committee to come up with the suggestion of new laws, or proposals of amendments to existing laws at the end of its legislative inquiries.

In all Senate committees, the four top Senate officials are ex officio members, namely, the Senate president, pro tempore, the majority leader and the minority leader. Like all other committees, the Senate elects members of the Blue Ribbon committee. At present, the Blue Ribbon is composed of 17 out of the 24 senators. Even if he does not get back as head of the Blue Ribbon, Lacson remains as its ex officio member.

The House infrastructure committee suspended last month its own parallel investigations into the alleged “ghost” flood control projects. After all, many of the “proponents” of these congressional insertions and initiatives were authored by House members during the 19th Congress, many of whom got re-elected to the 20th Congress.

These include resigned Ako Bicol party-list Zaldy Co who flew abroad at the height of the investigations into the flood control scandal. Co was the former chairman of the House committee on appropriations that crafted the 2025 budget law. Former speaker, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez has attended and shed light at a closed-door inquiry before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

Once the Senate Blue Ribbon restarts its public hearings, it will be moving on to the next chapter of these reported anomalous infrastructure projects. Let’s see if the “macho” bloc will indeed follow the trail of evidence wherever it will lead them.