Cayetano: Minority bloc to work with Lacson in his return as Blue Ribbon chair

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday vowed that the minority bloc will continue working with Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, following the announcement that the latter will reassume the chairmanship of the blue ribbon committee.

In a statement, Cayetano said it does not matter who chairs the panel or how many times the senators change minds on who leads it. What is important, Cayetano said, is "whether we can agree on one clear direction and a fair set of ground rules."

"As I've said, it's the majority's choice, and the minority respects that. We will continue to work with Senator Lacson in the spirit of cooperation and transparency—because the stakes for our nation are too high for us not to work together," the Senate Minority Leader said. 

"The Blue Ribbon's power lies in its integrity—in making sure that both our goals of uncovering the truth and the means to achieve them are beyond politics and personal agenda. The easy path is to use the hearings to score political points. The harder but more necessary path is to expose the masterminds behind corruption and push for genuine, systemic reforms," he added. 

Last Tuesday, Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said Lacson would be reinstated as the head of the Senate blue ribbon committee just weeks after he resigned from the post amid its investigation into anomalous flood control projects.

Lacson stepped down from the post on October 6, citing the dissatisfaction of other senators on the "direction" of the legislative inquiry on the substandard and ghost flood control projects.

Should his return push through, Lacson said Sotto should be ready to face the consequences as the majority bloc may lose some members and possibly the latter's Senate presidency. 

However, Cayetano asked the Senate President Pro Tempore not to drag the minority bloc in the "internal struggles" of the majority.

'Trabaho lang'

Meanwhile, Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito said he was also willing to work with anyone who chairs the blue ribbon committee. 

"What's important is that we move decisively and get to the bottom of this biggest scandal, which is the floodgates caused by syndicated criminals. Ever since I've been firm that the focus should be the modus so we can introduce legislation that will prevent this kind of crime from happening again," Ejercito said in a statement.

Following Lacson's resignation, Senator Erwin Tulfo, vice chairman of the committee, was named as the acting chairperson of the panel. 

Other senators who were considered to replace him were Ejercito, and Senators Pia Cayetano, Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, Raffy Tulfo, and Risa Hontiveros. — VDV, GMA Integrated News