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Composite photo: (Clockwise from left) The Supreme Court building in Manila, Blue Ribbon Committee chair Sen. Ping Lacson, Sen. Joel Villanueva, Sen. Chiz Escudero and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
SC PIO; Senate PRIB; Philstar.com composite
MANILA, Philippines — Three lawyers asked the Supreme Court on Monday, March 2, to compel the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to release its draft partial report on a flood control probe that reportedly recommended plunder charges against several lawmakers.
In their petition, lawyers Eldrige Marvin Aceron, Sikini Labastilla and Purificacion Bartolome-Bernabe sought a writ of mandamus and certiorari questioning the Senate's refusal to provide an official copy of the document.
The dispute stems from the committee's denial of their request on Feb. 23, 2026.
According to the petitioners, the Senate invoked "deliberative process privilege," arguing that releasing the draft would create a "chilling effect" on "frank deliberations" within government bodies.
Lawyer Marvin Aceron showing an electronic copy of their petition at the Supreme Court on March 2, 2026.
Marvin Aceron via FB
Claim of waiver
The petitioners argued that the privilege was waived after Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Panfilo Lacson publicly confirmed the report's key findings, including the recommendation to file plunder charges against those include.
Names that floated were those of Sens. Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada and Chiz Escudero, detained former Sen. Bong Revilla, former lawmaker Zaldy Co and former Caloocan Rep. Mitch Cajayon-Uy.
"Chairman Lacson is the institutional holder of the deliberative process privilege he now invokes against petitioners. He is not a rogue subordinate acting without authority. He is the chairman — the very person empowered to decide what the committee discloses and what it withholds," the petition read.
"When the privilege-holder chooses to publicly disclose the substance of the privileged material, the privilege is surrendered, not stolen," it added.
The petition also raised the issue of withdrawn signatures.
According to the lawyers, the draft report had been signed by Sens. Juan Miguel Zubiri, JV Ejercito and Sherwin Gatchalian before the three later withdrew their signatures without written explanation.
The petitioners are asking the Supreme Court to order the senators to explain their withdrawals in writing.
They also seek a temporary restraining order to prevent the Senate from "destroying, altering, concealing, or revising" the original version of the report that bore the three signatures.
Allegations in the draft
On February 4, Lacson said the draft report recommended filing charges against Villanueva, Estrada and Escudero, as well as Revilla, who is currently detained, and former lawmaker Co and Cajayon-Uy.
The allegations stem from whistleblower testimonies by officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways, who identified the lawmakers as alleged key proponents of specific flood control projects.
The projects, located within their respective areas of influence, were later investigated over reports of inflated costs and questionable implementation.
The draft also cited alleged links between the lawmakers and preferred contractors who secured multiple flood control contracts and purportedly provided kickbacks.
The Supreme Court has yet to act on the petition.
