SC urged: Compel Senate to release flood control report

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court should compel the Senate to release the Blue Ribbon committee’s draft report on its investigation into anomalous flood control projects, wherein senators were supposedly involved, a group of lawyers said.

In a petition, lawyers Eldrige Marvin Aceron, Sikini Labastilla and Purificacion Bartolome-Bernabe asked the SC to issue, without a hearing, a temporary restraining order or status quo ante order directing the Senate to keep and protect all versions of the draft report, especially the copy signed by the senators who had withdrawn.

Aceron said the public should see the draft “without the politics involved,” saying the report is subject to change when politics get in the picture.

“This is the clean report before politics came into the picture,” he stressed.

Tracking changes between the original draft and subsequent version of the report is vital, he maintained.

The draft report, which was supposed to be made public last month, detailed the panel’s recommendations based on its probe into the flood control controversy.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said the draft report recommends filing criminal and administrative charges against Senators Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada and Francis Escudero, former senator Bong Revilla, former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co and former Caloocan representative Mitch Cajayon-Uy.

Former public works officials claimed the senators acted as “proponents” of flood control projects that were flagged for alleged overpricing, duplication, or questionable implementation.

The draft report also cited their alleged ties to favored contractors who reportedly won multiple flood control projects and from whom the senators allegedly received kickbacks.

In their petition, the lawyers asked the SC to issue a writ of mandamus compelling the committee to make the document public.

They also asked the high court to issue a temporary restraining order to preserve and prevent the alteration of all versions of the draft report, including the version with the original signatures of Zubiri, Ejercito and Gatchalian.

Petitioners asked the court to direct the three senators to submit to the court their reasons for withdrawing their signatures. — Neil Jayson Servallos