Senate Blue Ribbon Chairman Ping Lacson Suspends Hearing amid “Feud” w/ Sen. Rodante Marcoleta
PING LACSON – The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman and Sen. Rodante Marcoleta exchanged heated statements during a Senate flood hearing.
While House Speaker Bojie Dy recently said that the flood control probe is best done by the independent commission that President Bongbong Marcos ordered to be formed, the Senate continues with its investigation. Today, it has invited several resource persons in the hearing.
The Senate flood probe is led by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee which is now chaired by Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson following the shakeup in the chamber. Sen. Chiz Escudero was ousted and replaced by now-Senate Pres. Tito Sotto. Escudero earned countless criticisms over his alleged ties with a contractor that gave him a P30-million campaign donation.
Aside from Escudero, senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada were also ousted from key positions in the upper chamber after they were accused of allegedly receiving flood control kickbacks. Their accuser, dismissed DPWH engineer Brice Hernandez, is currently under the custody of the Senate.
Hernandez is one of the resource persons in today’s Senate flood probe. The Discayas are also present as well as former DPWH Bulacan district Engr. Henry Alcantara. However, at the start of the Senate flood probe, Senate Blue Ribbon chairman Ping Lacson and Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, the previous chairman of the committee, had a feud.
Sen. Rodante Marcoleta raised a question to Sen. Ping Lacson. He cited Lacson’s answer to a question on who he thinks is more qualified to be a state witness between the Discayas and Brice Hernandez — to which Lacson cited Hernandez.
“Foremost to my mind, Mr. Chair, is the integrity, the impartiality, and the objectivity of the proceedings of this committee. Mr. Chair, question is, does the chairman have the prerogative or the right to make judgment?” Marcoleta said.
Sen. Ping Lacson explained that it was his “personal opinion outside of the hearing or outside of this hall”. He told Sen. Rodante Marcoleta not to question his opinion as it was his opinion. However, Marcoleta insisted which triggered the tension.
“Are you trying to steal the show this morning? Are you creating trouble to prevent the proceedings?” Lacson told Marcoleta.
Sen. Marcoleta stressed that he is not protecting the Discayas. He reiterated his stand on having the controversial contractors under the witness protection program.
“I am not protecting them. Buti sinabi mo ‘yan, Mr. Chair. Pwede ba nating i-record ito? Palagi niyong sinasabi I am protective of the Discayas. When I was chairman of this committee, sinabi ko na sa inyo, the only remedy provided under the law is for them to apply, if they qualify, under the process of witness protection program. That’s all what I did,” Marcoleta responded.
Sen. Ping Lacson did not respond to the remarks of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta and put the session on pause. When he resumed the session, he did not mind Marcoleta’s statement and proceeded to the statement of former DPWH engineer Henry Alcantara. Amid the flood control mess, former Sen. Bong Revilla was linked to the flood control scam.