Legarda welcome to rejoin majority if back in PH — Lacson

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Monday said that Senator Loren Legarda is “welcome” to return to the Senate majority bloc, but emphasized that she should go back to the Philippines first.

“Welcome siya kung gusto niyang bumalik sa [majority], pero kailangan umuwi muna siya bago siya mag-majority,” Lacson said in an ambush interview.

(She is welcome if she wants to return to the majority, but she needs to come home first before joining the majority.)

Legarda has been on extended medical leave since August 3. The last time she was seen at the Senate was on July 29, during the plenary session.

Her spokesperson, Atty. Tony La Viña, said she is undergoing medical treatment in France for a lung and autoimmune condition and is taking time to rest, as her condition worsens under stress or tension.

Asked if Legarda is willing to rejoin the majority if she returns home, La Viña told GMA News Online that he has no idea about the matter.

“I am not privy to their conversation (Lacson and Legarda). But what she has told me is that moving from minority to majority and vice versa is frequently done in the Senate since 1987. She would point out that there has been four senate presidents in the last four years,” La Viña said.

Legarda and her son, Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste, are facing complaints for plunder and graft in connection with the alleged failure of the latter’s renewable energy firm to provide solar power, as mandated in its congressional franchise.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla said that Legarda is included in the case because Leviste was able to secure the franchise while his mother was the Senate Finance chair in 2019.

Legarda has denied the allegations, saying she has always upheld her integrity. — RSJ, GMA News