Sotto: Senate Flood Control Probes To Continue

While the Senate Blue Ribbon committee has canceled its hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 8, on flood control anomalies, there will still be discussions – in executive sessions – on corrupted budgets and infrastructure projects.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III made this clear on Saturday, Oct. 4, as he denied that the Senate investigation on anomalies in flood control projects has been suspended, even as some senators had expressed unease over the direction of the Blue Ribbon probe.

Blue Ribbon chairman Sen. Panfilo Lacson confirmed the cancellation of the Wednesday hearing, but said it was due to scheduling conflicts and to pending documentary evidence.

Lacson said the hearing was arranged at the request of Sen. JV Ejercito, who wanted to summon a former Mimaropa DPWH official. 

However, Lacson said he decided to postpone the hearing after learning that the “tell-all” affidavits of contractor-couple Curlee and Sarah Discayas were not yet ready. 

He also said authorities have yet to validate the authenticity of a notarized document earlier presented by a witness, former M/Sgt. Orly Guteza, before the committee. A lawyer earlier claimed the signature on the affidavit was not hers.

“Having been informed that both would not be ready within one week, not to mention that the BRC (Blue Ribbon committee) hearing will be in conflict with the budget and CA (Commission on Appointment) hearings, I informed SP Sotto of the cancellation until further notice,” Lacson said.

While Lacson had already announced that the committee would be inviting former speaker Martin Romualdez and resigned congressman Zaldy Co to the Blue Ribbon committee’s next hearing, Sotto said the invitations would still be discussed.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian earlier said Sotto supposedly had told him about the suspension of Blue Ribbon committee hearings. 

The development came as several senators from both the majority and the minority blocs have been showing growing resistance to the direction of the Blue Ribbon committee’s investigation.

Ejercito, Senate Deputy Majority Leader, last week said he was mulling over leaving the majority as some of his colleagues appeared to be “burning down our own house” by focusing on the alleged involvement of senators in flood control corruption while neglecting accountability for members of the House of Representatives.

“We talked, but I won’t discuss what we talked about or what we felt. For me, what’s important is that the 2026 budget is passed properly and that we help those affected by the earthquake and typhoon,” Gatchalian said in reaction Ejercito’s pronouncement.

Sen. Imee Marcos, of the minority bloc, bared leaving a group chat of all 24 senators, saying hearings and sessions have become a platform to “persecute” senators.

Sotto’s predecessor, Sen. Francis Escudero, also decried how senators were being used as “fall guys” while House members like Romualdez were allegedly being shielded.

Gatchalian, who claims to be still supportive of Sotto’s majority, said he prefers that the ongoing investigation be turned over to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), which he said is better equipped to handle the probe comprehensively and without political considerations. He said “almost all senators” share his sentiment.

“You know, we’re all politicians here, and it can’t be avoided that we each have our own agenda. So to remove political agenda, it’s best to turn this over to the ICI,” he said in Filipino.

He also cautioned against making the ICI hearings public, saying they could turn into a spectacle and influence the commissioners’ actions.

Gatchalian said the Senate should focus on its responsibility of pursuing legislative reforms aimed at preventing the recurrence of cases of large-scale corruption.

Gatchalian also maintained that the Senate majority remains stable under the leadership of Sotto, downplaying talk of rifts within the bloc as deliberations on the proposed 2026 national budget continue.

“I see the leadership of Sen. Sotto as stable. In fact, it was his suggestion that we make amendments on the floor to ensure transparency,” Gatchalian said, noting that both Sotto and the President had agreed not to certify the budget bill as urgent to allow senators more time to review the document between the second and third readings.

He said the Senate leader has been “very hands-on” in the budget process, consulting frequently with members to push reforms aimed at making the deliberations more transparent. 

“We speak two to three times about the budget. He’s very supportive. This budget is for the entire country, so it’s important that consultations happen,” Gatchalian said.