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The Philippine Star
January 22, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson described as invalid and disrespectful the so-called minority report on the flood control controversy, stressing that only the Blue Ribbon committee can issue an official committee report under Senate rules.
“Respect begets respect. How will I, as chairman of the Blue Ribbon committee, treat with respect a document that symbolizes disrespect toward the Blue Ribbon committee and the entire Senate, both of which they are members?” Lacson said yesterday as he took aim at the document circulated by members of the minority bloc.
Lacson was referring to a 576-page document presented by the minority bloc to Senate media on Tuesday.
The report had been submitted to the Office of the Senate President on Dec. 10 and was first released publicly during a media forum on Dec. 11.
Lacson said Senate rules are clear that a committee report may only be released by the committee itself and must be signed by a majority of its members.
He noted that the minority report was backed by only six of nine minority senators and did not carry the authority of the committee.
“So there is no other place for that ‘minority report’ but the trash bin,” he noted.
In a separate interview on “Balitanghali” on GTV, Lacson said he did not even read the document.
Senate deputy majority leader Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, shed light on the process of having a “minority report” as a former member of the minority bloc.
During the Kapihan sa Senado forum, Hontiveros recalled that when she was in the two-member minority bloc with then minority leader Koko Pimentel, the minority would wait for the main committee report before releasing its own, just like what they did during the sugar smuggling probe.
She said the majority at that time agreed that the minority report will be attached to the “mother committee” report.
Hontiveros said she had not read the minority’s flood control report, but she disagreed with the minority’s view that the probe led by Lacson was lacking and “bitin” or short of expectations.
“So far I’m satisfied because I know it will continue. It hasn’t been adjourned, succeeding hearings will be called and for sure I will also follow up certain issues that weren’t completely answered by resource persons,” Hontiveros said.
Painful, but necessary
Seeing fellow lawmakers face charges and possible jail time over the flood control scandal is painful, yet the evidence leaves no room for hesitation, Lacson stressed.
The Blue Ribbon chair acknowledged that the process has been personally difficult for him and other senators who actively participate in the hearings, but said compromising the investigation would defeat its purpose.
“But we cannot do anything about it. If we will investigate mainly in aid of legislation just to cover up for some people, we might as well not investigate at all,” he told radio dzMM.
However, he said the panel’s investigation has consistently followed the evidence wherever it leads, stressing that no one is being singled out or shielded from scrutiny.
Bato breaks silence
Meanwhile, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, absent from the public eye since November last year, broke his silence yesterday, as he marked his 64th birthday with a lengthy statement on his Facebook page, asserting his readiness to face any case filed against him, while rejecting what he described as foreign interference in the pursuit of justice.
“If indeed there are cases against me, then I wait for a time and a certainty that I shall be able to face these cases as a Filipino, before Filipinos,” Dela Rosa said.
“To those who are all-too-eager and impatient, try flipping your script,” he added, asking why Filipinos would be quick to support the surrender of a compatriot to foreigners.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla previously said he has seen a copy of the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Dela Rosa in relation to the latter’s role in the bloody war on drugs during the Duterte administration, prompting the senator to go into hiding. – Marc Jayson Cayabyab
