Dennis Gasgonia

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA - Senator Panfilo Lacson on Saturday said the signing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee&#x27;s partial report on the flood control mess should be guided by a sense of duty and not &quot;pakikisama&quot; or peer pressure.</p><p>The Senate President Pro Tempore and Blue Ribbon Chairman said his fellow senators must be swayed not by political affiliations or bloc lines but by their responsibilities as members of the Blue Ribbon committee when deciding whether to sign the partial report.</p><p>&quot;For me, it doesn&#x27;t matter if you are in the majority or minority bloc, so long as you follow what is right. Otherwise, you will be blind if you claim that you won&#x27;t sign something from the majority because you are from the minority,&quot; he said in a statement.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/17/malaca-ang-tells-critics-flood-control-scandal-forgotten-not-true-with-zaldy-co-s-arrest-1427"><strong>Palace tells critics: Flood control scandal forgotten? Not true with Zaldy Co&#x27;s arrest </strong></a></div><p>&quot;If you are a senator, you must have your own convictions, not follow the convictions of your colleagues.&quot;</p><p>He said that when Senator &quot;Bong&quot; Go, a member of the minority bloc, asked him to support a resolution acknowledging the authority of local courts, he signed the resolution because he believed it was &quot;the right thing to do.&quot;</p><p> The Blue Ribbon panel&#x27;s partial report still needs three more signatures before it can be reported out and sponsored in plenary. </p><p>Lacson said its sponsorship is required before hearings on the flood control issue can resume.</p><p> Lacson believes it is possible that some members from the minority may have persuaded some majority senators refuse signing the partial report.</p><p>&quot;I felt some disappointment but I also understand their situation. We are human, and there is a human element in such instances,&quot; he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>ZALDY CO</strong></div><p>But things might change he said because of the recent capture of ex-Rep. Elizaldy &quot;Zaldy&quot; Co. </p><p>He said some senators may be convinced to sign the report and Lacson plans to invite Co to the next committee hearing - once the partial report is filed and sponsored in plenary.</p><p> &quot;There is now a new factor - Zaldy Co was captured, and some senators want to know the truth. I believe some will make up their minds to sign because there is now the pressure of whether they want the truth to come out,&quot; he added.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/17/zaldy-co-stopped-at-german-border-after-entering-from-czech-republic-marcos-0936"><strong>Zaldy Co stopped at German border after entering from Czech Republic — Marcos </strong></a></div><p>Lacson reiterated he plans to invite Co and have him confront former soldiers including Orly Guteza - as well as former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo.</p><p> Also, Lacson said Co may face difficulties if he wants to become a state witness, as he may not be the least guilty since he has been tagged as the architect of the flood control scandal.</p><p> &quot;If he will be accepted as a state witness, many may be implicated. But the situation must be studied carefully because he has been tagged as the architect of the scandal - and one qualification of being a state witness is that one must not be the most guilty,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Senator Panfilo Lacson on Saturday said the signing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's partial report on the flood control mess should be guided by a sense of duty and not "pakikisama" or peer pressure.</p>

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Saturday said the signing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's partial report on the flood control mess should be guided by a sense of duty and not "pakikisama" or peer pressure.

Lacson raises 'sense of duty' in Senate report on flood control mess

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Lacson raises 'sense of duty' in Senate report on flood control mess

Dennis Gasgonia,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 18, 2026 05:20 PM PHT

Read More:

Zaldy Co

Flood Control Project mess

Panfilo Lacson

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