Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Monday lashed out at critics he accused of hijacking the Senate investigation into alleged multi-billion-peso flood control corruption, telling them to stop interfering as the inquiry resumed.
At the opening of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, Lacson said attempts to discredit the panel only create noise and do not help uncover the truth behind the alleged anomalies.
He stressed that criticism branding the committee as “useless” insults not only its members but also Filipinos who closely followed the hearings and joined public actions against corruption, including clergy, students, workers and other concerned citizens.
Lacson said the investigation has played a key role in exposing what he described as systemic and unrestrained corruption tied to flood control projects.
Several individuals linked to the controversy were present at the hearing, including former Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan, who has been accused of providing incorrect project coordinates.
The committee is also expected to scrutinize the so-called “Cabral Files,” which allegedly contain details of flood control projects and proponents inserted into the National Expenditure Program used as basis for past national budgets.
