Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Senate President Vicente Sotto III attends the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on anomalous flood control projects on Thursday, September 18, 2025. The hearing was also attended by officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways led by Sec. Vince Dizon, along with representatives of contractors implicated in alleged ghost and substandard projects nationwide.
Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

RG Cruz

Adrian Ayalin

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175973726935320250918-senate-flood-control-tito-sotto-JC0331.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Senate President Vicente Sotto III attends the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on anomalous flood control projects on Thursday, September 18, 2025. The hearing was also attended by officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways led by Sec. Vince Dizon, along with representatives of contractors implicated in alleged ghost and substandard projects nationwide. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Senate President Vicente Sotto III explained that the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/5/lacson-stepping-aside-as-blue-ribbon-committee-chair-1524">resignation </a>of Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Panfilo &quot;Ping&quot; Lacson would not keep the panel from continuing its investigation of the flood control scandal.</p><p>&quot;Siyempre, kung ano yung mga dapat ipadala na namin. Meron kami mga nakakuha na, marami nang information na nakuha. Ang importante dito, ipadala ito sa ICI (Independent Commission for Infrastructure) and the DOJ (Department of Justice) so it can aid them in their performance of their mandates. Malaking tulong yun palagay ko sa kanila.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/2/coa-submits-fresh-audit-report-to-ici-flags-paid-ghost-projects-in-bulacan-1655">COA submits fresh audit report to ICI; flags ‘paid ghost projects’ in Bulacan</a></div><p>Sotto said there are three or four other senators he believes can take over from Lacson.</p><p>&quot;Well, there are about three or four members of the Senate who I think would be able to handle it also, but mahirap sundan din yung footsteps ni Senator Lacson.&quot; </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/6/lacson-s-blue-ribbon-exit-a-sign-of-unstable-senate-says-drilon-1103">Lacson&#x27;s Blue Ribbon exit a sign of &#x27;unstable&#x27; Senate, says Drilon</a></div><p>Sotto explained that the detention of former Department of Public Works and Highways engineers Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza, and government contractor Curlee Discaya, whom the committee held in contempt, will continue despite Lacson&#x27;s potential resignation.</p><p>&quot;Yung mga naka-contempt, they&#x27;re still under contempt. Their contempt stems from the Blue Ribbon Committee, not from Senator Lacson.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/24/ex-dpwh-engineers-disacayas-now-considered-protected-witnesses-by-doj-1442">Ex-DPWH engineers, Discayas now considered ‘protected witnesses’ by DOJ</a></div><p>Sotto explained he has not yet accepted Lacson&#x27;s resignation from the Blue Ribbon panel, adding Lacson wants to personally resign. </p><p>Sotto said Lacson is <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/6/sotto-says-lacson-frustrated-over-senators-comments-on-flood-control-hearings-1357">frustrated </a>at how some of his colleagues have received his stewardship of the Senate&#x27;s lead investigative panel.</p><p>Sotto expressed his support for Lacson&#x27;s decision. </p><p>&quot;I will support whatever decision he makes and I will accept whatever decision he makes and he has my 100 percent support, whatever it is.&quot;</p><p>Sotto believes many of his colleagues would like Lacson to stay put as he parried talks that Lacson gave up the panel to prevent a coup against Sotto.</p><p>The Senate President noted the upper chamber is &quot;stable&quot; and &quot;will make sure everything will be transparent, everything will be accountable.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2025/10/3/ejercito-says-he-and-4-others-considered-leaving-sotto-led-senate-majority-1330">Ejercito says he and 4 others considered leaving Sotto-led Senate majority</a></div><p>Sotto said Lacson&#x27;s own recommendation for his replacement will be considered.</p><p>Sotto added he is leaving to the committee the decision on the matter of <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/2/blue-ribbon-hearings-to-resume-romualdez-zaldy-invited-lacson-1524">inviting </a>former Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/2/ici-says-to-resend-hearing-invites-for-romualdez-co-2039">ICI says to &#x27;resend&#x27; hearing invites for Romualdez, Co</a></div><p>Sotto explained the parliamentary ethics cover the invitation to Romualdez, but not to Co, who has already resigned from his post. </p><p>He said a show cause order will follow if they do not honor the invitation.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>REMULLA TO STILL SEEK ADVICE FROM LACSON</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla lamented Lacson&#x27;s resignation.</p><p>“Malungkot tayo dahil, he’s probably one of the best investigators in the country, kaya impressive ang body of work niya talaga,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/4/discayas-visit-doj-for-submission-of-more-evidence-in-flood-control-mess-2038">Discayas visit DOJ for submission of more evidence in flood control mess</a></div><p>“Malaking tulong kasi ang kanyang ginawang investigation as far as our investigations are concerned here, and it will be missed for sure, ang kanyang skill, pero I will still seek advice from him about some things that I have to work out later,” Remulla added.</p><p>Asked if Lacson’s replacement ask for the inclusion of certain individuals in the list of state witnesses, similar to the request of Senator Rodante Marcoleta when he was still the committee head, Remulla said the final decision will still come from the DOJ.</p><p>He said any recommendation from the Blue Ribbon, which will be coursed through the office of the Senate President, will still be subject to DOJ’s evaluation.</p><p>“Hindi siya binding but we all give it the importance it deserves, coming from the office of the Senate President,” Remulla said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/2/remulla-congtractors-engineers-among-almost-200-people-involved-flood-control-mess-0029">Remulla: ‘Congtractors’, engineers among almost 200 people involved flood control mess</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sI36fmMSVok?si=ddx8Bypc6vcPU148" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div>

<p>Senate President Vicente Sotto III explained that the resignation of Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Panfilo "Ping" Lacson would not keep the panel from continuing its investigation of the flood control scandal.</p>

Senate President Vicente Sotto III explained that the resignation of Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Panfilo "Ping" Lacson would not keep the panel from continuing its investigation of the flood control scandal.

Sotto says Blue Ribbon's flood control probe to continue despite Lacson's resignation

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Sotto says Blue Ribbon's flood control probe to continue despite Lacson's resignation

RG Cruz,

Adrian Ayalin,

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 06, 2025 03:57 PM PHT

Read More:

Tito Sotto

Senate

Ping Lacson

Flood control

Blue Ribbon Committee

corruption

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