Lacson: Majority’s No-Show Aimed to Hold Legislation Hostage

The no-show of the majority bloc in Monday’s Senate session sought to hold legislation hostage over the arrest of Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada – but will not solve anything, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Tuesday.

Lacson said what happened Monday was not a case of standing up for the Senate’s independence but plain and simple dereliction of duty by the majority bloc led by Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano.

“Standing up for the Senate’s independence does not place SP Cayetano and any senator above the law. It has nothing to do with non-adherence to the rule of law. Dereliction of duty will not solve this partisan gridlock. Its sole purpose is to hold legislation hostage,” he said in a post on X.

In Filipino: Lacson: Pag-Absent ng Majority sa Sesyon, Balak Gawing Hostage ang Legislation

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Solid Bloc 11: This is not Senate Independence But a Boycott of Duty

The Solid Bloc 11 minority senators were present today for the 5 p.m. resumption of session, ready to work, ready to vote on pending bills and ready to keep the Senate running, but the majority led by SP Cayetano chose not to show up.

They did not even have the courtesy to inform us when they ignored the rules, and could not extend the basic decency of telling the minority that they had no intention of convening.

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Lacson: Ombudsman’s Flood Control Charges Vindicate Blue Ribbon Probe

The planned filing of plunder and other charges by the Office of the Ombudsman against personalities linked to the flood control mess vindicate the findings of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Wednesday.

Lacson said the Blue Ribbon panel’s investigation under his chairmanship had gathered key evidence and transmitted it to the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice.

“Ombudsman (Jesus Crispin) Remulla’s announcement that plunder, malversation and other cases will soon be filed with the Sandiganbayan against the same government officials implicated in the Blue Ribbon Committee’s partial report on the flood control anomaly is a vindication of our findings and recommendations,” he said on X.

In Filipino: Lacson: Kasong Flood Control na Ihahain ng Ombudsman, Nagpapatunay sa Blue Ribbon Probe

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Lacson: Filipinos’ Loyalty Must Be to the Philippines, Not Other Nations

Filipinos’ loyalty must be to the Philippines, not to other nations.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson emphasized this on Thursday as he again criticized the recent actions of an elected Philippine lawmaker, which he said appeared to serve foreign interests.

“We should love the Philippines more than any country. Regardless of what is at stake, we are Filipinos. We must look after the Philippines’ interests, not those of other countries,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino, in an interview on DZRH radio.

In Filipino: Lacson: Katapatan ng Mga Pilipino ay Dapat sa Pilipinas, at Hindi sa Ibang Bansa

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Blue Ribbon Committee Hearing on Flood Control Projects (Nov. 14, 2025)

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson’s Opening Statement at the Hearing:

Before we proceed to the substantive discussions, the Committee will deal first with some administrative matters for the record:

All members of the House of Representatives implicated by the Discaya spouses, as well as Cong. Martin Romualdez and Cong. Eric Yap cited by Mr. Orly Guteza, were invited to attend this hearing. Incumbent Congressmen were invited through a letter dated 12 November 2025 to Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy of the House of Representatives.

According to Speaker Dy, the members will not be appearing before the Committee today in order to avoid any possible prejudice to the ongoing investigation and eventual findings of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), given that the invited members have already submitted themselves to its jurisdiction and proceedings.

Mr. Zaldy Co was similarly invited to appear before this Committee—however, his lawyer, Atty. Ruy Alberto Rondain, replied that Mr. Co is unable to attend, citing that he is still overseas due to medical reasons.

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