Lacson to quit as Blue Ribbon chief amid probe criticism

SENATOR Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson on Sunday said he would resign as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee after fellow senators criticized his handling of the chamber’s inquiry into anomalies flood control projects.

“No amount of criticisms from misinformed netizens and partisan sectors can distract or pressure me from doing my job right, but when my own peers start expressing their group or individual sentiments, maybe it is best to vacate,” he said in a statement.

He said he would manifest his resignation in plenary when the Senate resumes session.

Mr. Lacson, who was named Blue Ribbon Committee chairman after Vicente “Tito” C. Sotto III became Senate president, had taken over amid concerns about former Senate chief Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero’s links to the flood control controversy.

“Rightly or wrongly, when quite a number of them have expressed disappointment over how I’m handling the flood control project anomalies, I thought it’s time for me to step aside in favor of another member who they think can handle the committee better,” Mr. Lacson, a former national police chief, said.

He added that while he thinks he managed the hearings well, some senators sought to disrupt proceedings, fueling perceptions that the probe was mishandled.

The Senate is investigating irregularities in multibillion-peso flood control projects, following reports that lawmakers and officials received kickbacks from infrastructure funds allocated since 2022.

“Nevertheless, I will continue to fight a corrupt and rotten system in the misuse and abuse of public funds as I have consistently done in the course of my long years in public service,” Mr. Lacson said. — Adrian H. Halili