“Marami pang mga nangyayari dapat maungkat, hindi lang sa Visayas at Mindanao, pati sa 2025 budget. Yun ang budget killer. Doon talaga nagkaloko-loko,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on Monday.
Sotto backed the continuation of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s probe into alleged anomalies in flood control projects, saying key issues have yet to be fully uncovered.
He said the panel should invite former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and other individuals linked to the projects who have not yet testified or disclosed their knowledge of the government programs.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, who chairs the committee, earlier said hearings remain suspended until at least nine of the 17 regular members sign the partial committee report so it can be presented on the Senate floor.
A hearing initially set for April 14 was postponed after former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson failed to submit a sworn affidavit supporting his claims, including alleged links to budget insertions and the involvement of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
So far, only six senators have signed the partial report: Sotto, Lacson, Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, and Erwin Tulfo.