A dispute within the Senate resurfaced Tuesday as Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson accused Senator Rodante Marcoleta of “gaslighting.”
Lacson also defended the conduct of the Blue Ribbon Committee which he chairs, and warned that Marcoleta could face indirect bribery charges over alleged undeclared campaign contributions.
Lacson delivered a privilege speech rebutting Marcoleta’s criticisms of the committee’s leadership and procedures.
“I am constrained to take the floor to set the record straight and correct the prevarications spewed on this very floor by one of our colleagues. While in his two recent privilege speeches he mostly referred to this representation as the ‘BRC Chairman,’ in my manifestation today, I will refer to him by his name,” Lacson said.
Lacson said he initially avoided responding but decided to speak out after what he described as increasingly personal attacks.
“I refuse to dignify his ego-driven provocations. But when the attacks shift from professional to obsessively personal, I must shut the whole political circus down, firmly, completely, and without ambiguity,” the veteran lawmaker added.
The tension between the two senators began during Senate discussions on the impeachment complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.
During an Aug. 6, 2025 session, Lacson raised a parliamentary inquiry after Marcoleta attempted to invoke Section 135 of the Senate rules to support a motion to dismiss the complaint.
Lacson said the Senate rules contain no provision allowing such a motion when the chamber is acting as a legislative body rather than as an impeachment court.
Further disagreements arose after Lacson delivered a privilege speech on Aug. 20, 2025 titled “Flooded Gates of Corruption,” which cited alleged irregularities in flood control projects based on research by his office. The speech was meant to support the Blue Ribbon Committee’s legislative inquiry.
Marcoleta later questioned the speech on a television program, claiming it violated Senate rules because the issue was already under committee discussion.
“Just like his ‘motion to dismiss,’ Senator Marcoleta has again invented what can only be described as a half-baked rule,” Lacson said.
“No matter how one examines or interprets the Senate Rules, there is nothing that prohibits any senator from delivering a privilege speech even if the same subject, such as flood control, is already being discussed at the committee level,” he added.
After changes in Senate leadership on Sept. 9, 2025, Lacson assumed the chairmanship of the Blue Ribbon Committee.
At a Sept. 23, 2025 hearing, Marcoleta questioned Lacson’s impartiality following the latter’s media remarks about the credibility of certain resource persons.
“I chose not to confront him on that issue at the time to avoid disrupting the hearing, despite the clear errors, out of consideration for him as a lawyer who should know that a prejudicial question applies only in criminal cases,” Lacson said.
Disruptions also occurred during the hearing as Marcoleta repeatedly interrupted proceedings while raising concerns about the committee’s direction.
Contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya, linked to flood control projects under investigation, were among those discussed during the hearings.
Reports later indicated that a relative of Marcoleta served as an independent director in insurance firms that issued bonds to contractors associated with the Discaya couple.
Another dispute involved a document released by Marcoleta in December 2025 that he described as a minority report on the committee’s investigation.
Lacson said Senate rules allow concurring or dissenting reports only within 72 hours after a committee report is approved by a majority of members.
Because the committee had not yet adopted a report at the time, he said Marcoleta’s document did not meet those requirements.
Lacson also criticized Marcoleta over remarks about the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea.
Marcoleta had earlier suggested that giving up the territory could simplify coordination with China, though he later said the statement was hypothetical or made in jest.
“The words that came from his own mouth are not my fault, and as Gen Z would call it, this is a classic case of gaslighting. Countless statements from Senator Marcoleta have clearly gone against the national interest, and many have voiced negative reactions, yet in the end, he still blames me,” Lacson said.
Lacson also raised the possibility that Marcoleta could face indirect bribery charges for failing to declare certain campaign contributions in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) during the 2025 senatorial elections.
“I guess Marcoleta and his legal team thought they were being smart by being technical about when these contributions were made. But the funny thing is that he admitted receiving contributions so he would have a debt of gratitude to the contributors. This is a clear admission against interest, as lawyers say,” Lacson said.
The veteran lawmaker noted that accepting money while holding office could expose a public official to indirect bribery charges under Article 211 of the Revised Penal Code, which penalizes officials who receive gifts or benefits by reason of their office even without a specific promise of action.
Marcoleta served as SAGIP Party-list representative in the House of Representatives from 2016 to 2025.
Lacson said Marcoleta later tried to retract his earlier statements after receiving a show-cause order from the Commission on Elections, claiming the funds were received before his candidacy under the Supreme Court’s definition.
“Why has the Comelec not issued a resolution on Marcoleta’s SOCE case up to now?” Lacson said.
