To The Manila Times: We write to rectify several misconceptions in your March 8, 2026 editorial regarding the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s draft partial report on the flood control project scandal, which characterized the draft report’s non-release to the public at this time as “lip service to transparency” and even suggested that it smacks of “whitewashing.”
Letter to the Editor: Lacson office ‘sets record straight’ on March 8 Manila Times editorial
By Letters to the Editor, March 10, 2026
WE write to rectify several misconceptions in your March 8, 2026 editorial regarding the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s draft partial report on the flood control project scandal, which characterized the draft report’s non-release to the public at this time as “lip service to transparency” and even suggested that it smacks of “whitewashing.”
First, the draft partial committee report is precisely that: a working draft, not an official document, and thus cannot be released to the public until it obtains the signatures of majority of the Blue Ribbon Committee’s members — nine out of the panel’s 17 regular members — and is properly filed with the secretary of the Senate. Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, has repeatedly made this clear.
The Senate’s internal processes — including the progression of a draft, especially a partial draft, into a final committee report — are protected by legislative privilege, as well as the Rules of the Senate, the Rules of Procedure Governing Inquiries in Aid of Legislation, and the rules of the committee on accountability of public officers and investigations (Blue Ribbon).
Section 1, Article 5 of the panel’s rules provides that all committee reports “shall, before submission to the Senate, be discussed, decided and approved by the committee members and must be signed by majority of all the members of the committee.” Similarly, Section 22 of the Rules of Procedure Governing Inquiries in Aid of Legislation provides that the report “shall be approved by a majority vote of all its members,” after which the report, together with concurring and/or dissenting opinions, “shall be filed with the Secretary of the Senate, who shall include the same in the next Order of Business.”
Thus, until these requirements are met, a draft partial committee report remains part of the deliberative process and is not considered an official record or public document. Compelling its disclosure before it is finalized and filed would infringe upon the Senate’s institutional autonomy and deliberative process privilege.
Second, the updates that Senator Lacson provided to the public about the direction of the investigation do not waive the deliberative process privilege. Informing citizens of the general progress of an investigation is different from publicizing internal processes, which are protected precisely to allow committee members to review, revise and reach conclusions based on evidence.
A leak does not transform a working draft into an official committee report. On the contrary, it is a breach of the integrity of Senate processes. If we institutionalize the idea that any leaked draft must be treated as a de facto public document and must automatically be released in full, we risk legitimizing unauthorized disclosures and undermining the integrity of legislative investigations.
Third, as Senator Lacson has repeatedly emphasized, the purpose of a Blue Ribbon Committee investigation is not to prosecute, but to conduct inquiries “in aid of legislation.” Any recommendation for prosecution arising from such inquiries remains subject to the determination of the appropriate body — such as the Department of Justice and the Ombudsman — which must still evaluate the evidence and decide if it warrants further investigation or the filing of charges. Indeed, much of the evidence later used by the DOJ in pursuing cases against erring officials historically originated from Blue Ribbon Committee hearings.
This is due process at work, not the protection or targeting of any individual.
No doubt, the public deserves to see the findings of the Blue Ribbon Committee. But as Senator Lacson has emphasized, those findings must ultimately be guided by the evidence, and released in accordance with the Senate’s established rules and procedures.
We hope this sets the record straight. Thank you.
Joel Locsin
Media Relations Officer
Office of Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson