Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson on Saturday commended Sen. Erwin Tulfo for what he described as upholding his duty to help expose alleged anomalies in defective and ghost flood control projects, and for resisting pressure to overlook wrongdoing in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation.
Lacson cited Tulfo’s confirmation in a podcast interview that he signed the committee’s partial report on the flood control scandal despite alleged pressure from some colleagues in the Senate.
“Thank you, Sen. Erwin, for speaking the truth to confirm what I had thought all along was the real reason – bakit inamag at tuluyan nang napanis ang BRC partial report. Quo vadis, Philippine Senate,” Lacson said in a post on X, referring to what he described as the report’s failure to progress.
Tulfo, who assumed the Blue Ribbon Committee chairmanship following a leadership change last June 3, said in an interview with broadcast journalist Jessica Soho that some colleagues reacted negatively to his decision to sign the report while he was serving as vice chair.
He recalled that some senators discouraged him from signing the partial report, saying “kasama natin kawawa (some of our colleagues would be put on the spot).”
But he said he proceeded anyway, stressing: “hindi ko naman pwedeng ipikit-pikit (I cannot just close my eyes),” even as he intended to raise questions on portions of the report during plenary deliberations.
Lacson earlier noted that the report would have been sponsored on the Senate floor if it secured at least nine signatures, allowing it to be debated, amended, and potentially adopted. Only seven senators signed the partial report, falling short of the requirement.
“Sabi ko, nakakahiya sa tao,” Tulfo said, adding that his brother, Sen. Raffy Tulfo, along with Lacson and four other senators, were among those who signed the report.
Although the report did not reach plenary sponsorship, Lacson said its contents were entered into the Senate’s official records after he presented a privilege speech on May 5 containing his committee’s progress report.
In that speech, he presented findings and policy recommendations from eight hearings on alleged irregularities in flood control projects, which he described as reflecting a “systematic and parasitic greed” behind anomalous transactions.
Lacson also said he submitted all evidence gathered during the hearings to the Office of the Ombudsman to support its ongoing preliminary investigation into individuals linked to the flood control controversy.