Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Monday issued a sharp warning to critics of the Blue Ribbon Committee, saying public noise cannot overshadow the truth or convict those responsible for the flood control scandal.
“As the Chairman of this committee – I say to you: Shut the f… up!” Lacson said as the chamber opened the eighth public hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s investigation into alleged anomalies in flood control projects.
Lacson criticized detractors who dismissed the committee’s work as useless, calling such claims insensitive to both its members and the Filipino public who have followed the hearings closely.
He stressed the panel has made “substantial progress” despite efforts to undermine its work, ended his remarks with a sharp rebuke of critics, warning against attempts to discredit the investigation and exploit public discontent.
“Contrary to the lies and obfuscations that naysayers are trying to spread, the Blue Ribbon Committee has accomplished so much since the flood control scandal broke wide open in the middle of last year,” Lacson said.
Lacson said testimonies from Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, including Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez, and Jaypee Mendoza, revealed how billions of pesos intended for flood control projects were allegedly diverted to casinos through an elaborate scheme.
The hearings also scrutinized former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and exposed practices such as in-house contracting, bid rigging, padded project costs, and license renting.
“The case of Bulacan proved to be a gateway, a microcosm of a much more complex and institutionalized plunder within the bureaucracy,” Lacson said.
Since then, he said the committee has uncovered the misuse of public funds allegedly involving senior officials in both the executive and legislative branches, as well as irregularities linked to the Commission on Audit.
Several officials and contractors are now facing cases before the Sandiganbayan and regular courts, while others remain under preliminary investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice.
Lacson said court orders have frozen at least P21.7 billion in assets, while several witnesses have been placed under the DOJ’s Witness Protection Program and are cooperating in restitution efforts.
He said the committee has detailed how the scheme allegedly operated through a network of contractors colluding to rig bids, DPWH coordinators managing project allocations and kickbacks, and intermediaries who delivered illicit funds.
The probe also exposed conflicts of interest within the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board, the re-emergence of blacklisted firms under new identities, license renting, and contracts awarded to undercapitalized companies.
Lacson credited the hearings with prompting transparency reforms in the budget process, including the livestreaming of bicameral conference committee meetings and efforts to trace budget insertions to their proponents.
He thanked citizens who followed the hearings and took part in public scrutiny, saying their vigilance helped expose systemic corruption nationwide.
