MANILA, Philippines — Senate blue ribbon chair Sen. Erwin Tulfo accused the minority of blocking the panel from reopening its flood control probe, saying the reason was "obvious" given whom former chair Ping Lacson has been closing in on.
Tulfo said the same individuals who once goaded the chamber's leadership into resuming the investigation — and accused the majority of a cover-up — were now pleading for the hearings to be dropped.
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"Actually, the one blocking, to tell you the truth, honestly, is the other side. It's not us in the majority," Tulfo said in mixed English and Filipino, in an interview with reporters on Tuesday, July 28. "Real talk, they are now asking us not to continue with the Blue Ribbon."
Without naming names, Tulfo said the minority needed to be upfront with the public on why they want the Blue Ribbon committee to hold off on resuming the flood control investigation.
"You are the ones who have been goading this leadership, including me. You accused us of hiding. But it turns out, [you have a] plan not to resume the Blue Ribbon hearing," Tulfo said.
"You have to explain it to the media, you have to explain it to the public that it is your side that doesn't want this probe," he added.
Pressed on why the minority would want the probe stopped, Tulfo demurred that the reason was "obvious."
Asked to elaborate, he said only that it was obvious based on who Lacson has recently been urging to be investigated.
Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has been locked in a public feud with Lacson, who has alleged multibillion-peso "ghost" flood control projects in Taguig, Cayetano's bailiwick.
Cayetano has denied Lacson's claims and challenged him to show actual proof.
Lacson's partial committee report as former blue ribbon chair had recommended that the Ombudsman further investigate Sens. Chiz Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva over alleged kickbacks from flood control works.
This drew fierce backlash from the Cayetano-led bloc.
The Ombudsman has since filed plunder and graft charges against Estrada.
Hearings eyed next week
Tulfo said the committee is targeting to resume hearings next week, but must first have its membership formalized on the Senate floor.
He earlier said the panel would be constituted on the morning of the July 27 State of the Nation Address, as hearings cannot proceed until the membership is declared official.
Tulfo also briefly spoke about Lacson's decision to bring his own allegations of anomalies in Taguig's infrastructure projects straight to the Ombudsman.
He said the committee would keep its hands off the case. "Choice niya po yun. Alangan naman agawin namin sa Ombudsman — nasa Ombudsman na po yun, kaya hindi namin pakikialaman," he said, adding Lacson may have wanted to fast-track the cases.
He said the panel remains open to complaints against other government officials beyond the flood control mess.
Tulfo first took over the Blue Ribbon in an acting capacity in October after Lacson resigned as chair, citing colleagues' disappointment with the "direction" of the flood control hearings.
He was elected the chairperson in June following a leadership shake-up in the chamber.