5 senators eyed for Blue Ribbon panel

SENATE President Vicente “Tito” C. Sotto III on Tuesday proposed five senators that could be appointed as the new chairperson of the Blue Ribbon committee, after the resignation of Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson.

In a Viber message to a reporter, Mr. Sotto said that Senators Joseph Victor “JV” G. Ejercito, Rafael T. Tulfo, Pilar Juliana S. Cayetano, Francis N. Pangilinan, and Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel could be considered for the chairmanship.

The Senate chief added that the majority bloc is set to meet during a caucus to discuss the appointment of a new head.

On Monday, Mr. Lacson resigned as the chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee following criticism from other senators over his handling of the investigation into anomalous flood control projects.

“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, which this representation chairs,” he said in his resignation letter.

He was also criticized for alleged political bias during the flood control probe, which he has since denied.

“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,” he added.

Mr. Lacson, who held the Blue Ribbon Committee chairmanship for a month, took over following a leadership shakeup in the Senate due to concerns about former Senate chief Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero’s links to the flood control controversy.

The Senate is investigating irregularities in multi-billion-peso flood control projects, following reports that lawmakers and officials received kickbacks from infrastructure funds allocated since 2022. — Adrian H. Halili