Jamaine Punzalan

Pacifico and Cezarah Discaya, owners of St. Gerrard Construction Company, attend a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged ghost flood control projects at the Philippine Senate on September 8, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

RG Cruz

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/175764955562020250908-senate-blue-ribbon-discayas-2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Pacifico and Cezarah Discaya, owners of St. Gerrard Construction Company, attend a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged ghost flood control projects at the Philippine Senate on September 8, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Senate said Friday it would continue looking into the flood control scandal despite the creation of an independent commission tasked to probe infrastructure anomalies.</p><p>&quot;HoR might terminate. Not the Senate,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III said, referring to the House of Representatives which is also probing the matter through its Infrastructure Committee.</p><p>“We will continue in aid of legislation,&quot; Sotto added. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/11/marcos-announces-creation-of-independent-body-on-flood-control-probe-1412">Marcos forms 3-member independent body to probe flood control, other infra anomalies in past decade</a></div><p>Senate President Pro Tempore and Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chair Panfilo Lacson said there was no competition between the investigation he would lead and that of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).</p><p>&quot;The two efforts are not competing, but rather complementing each other. The Blue Ribbon inquiry is in aid of legislation but nothing will prevent us from forwarding whatever evidence we may gather to the ICI to assist their investigation towards prosecution. Likewise, we may request them to provide us with information that would help us craft meaningful and useful legislation,&quot; Lacson said.</p><p>&quot;In fact, I already furnished DPWH [Secretary Vince] Dizon and [Baguio] Mayor [Benjamin Magalong with all the official documents as well as photographs that my office have gathered, which I believe can augment whatever the executive agencies have to expedite the filing of charges against certain individuals, both government officials and contractors,&quot; he added. </p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/10/gov-t-very-very-stable-amid-flood-control-mess-executive-secretary-1118">Government &#x27;very, very stable&#x27; amid flood control mess: Executive Secretary</a></div><p>Lacson has delivered 2 privilege speeches on the flood control scandal, while the Blue Ribbon Committee has had 2 hearings.</p><p>A third hearing is scheduled next Thursday, the first under Lacson as panel chair. He said they would pick up where his committee predecessor Sen. Rodante Marcoleta left off.</p><div><a href="http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/news/nation/2025/9/11/ridon-hopes-for-senate-house-joint-undertaking-to-terminate-flood-control-proceedings-1853">Ridon hopes for Senate, House ‘joint undertaking’ to terminate flood control proceedings</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>BRICE HERNANDEZ </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Meanwhile, the Office of Senate President Vicente Sotto III announced that Senate Legal will submit on or before 4 p.m. Friday its reply to the writ of amparo petition filed by Senate detainee and former assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez.</p><p>He is against the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/10/ex-dpwh-engineer-brice-hernandez-transferred-to-pasay-city-jail-after-senate-order-2129">Senate&#x27;s decision to detain him at the Pasay City Jail</a>, which Sotto approved after the Senate Minority called him out for agreeing to Speaker Martin Romualdez&#x27;s phone call that Hernandez not be detained at the Senate premises due to security concerns he raised.</p><p>Hernandez tagged Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva in allegations of kickbacks from flood control funds, which the 2 senators have repeatedly denied.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/11/lacson-finds-p355-m-insertion-in-2025-matching-hernandez-claim-1553">Lacson finds P355-M &#x27;Senate or bicam insertion&#x27; in 2025 budget &#x27;matching&#x27; Hernandez claim</a></div><div><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uESsfCLpWfk" title="Ping Lacson exposes &#x27;BGC&#x27;: Bulacan Group of Contractors including Alcantara, Hernandez" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>The Senate said Friday it would continue looking into the flood control scandal despite the creation of an independent commission tasked to probe infrastructure anomalies.</p>

The Senate said Friday it would continue looking into the flood control scandal despite the creation of an independent commission tasked to probe infrastructure anomalies.

Senate flood control probe to continue despite independent commission

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Senate flood control probe to continue despite independent commission

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 12, 2025 12:06 PM PHT

Read More:

corruption

flood

flood control

baha

DPWH

Senate

Blue Ribbon

Lacson

Sotto

Brice Hernandez

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