Sotto backs hearings on flood control mess amid Congress break

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Monday expressed support for plans by Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, as chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, to hold hearings on alleged anomalous flood control projects even during the Senate session break.

“The Blue Ribbon Committee has motu proprio powers to call for hearings or investigations. Sen. Ping Lacson, the chairman, is allowed to call for an inquiry during the Senate break,” Sotto told GMA Integrated News.

Lacson announced on Sunday that the Blue Ribbon Committee will resume its hearing on flood control projects on January 19 at 1 p.m.

The Senate has been on a break since December 23, 2025, and will resume sessions on January 26.

Once the hearing resumes, Lacson said the committee will tackle reports of the alleged retraction of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Bulacan engineers Henry Alcantara and Brice Hernandez.

On Monday, the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed as “noise” reports that the former DPWH engineers were recanting their testimonies linking senators and members of the House of Representatives to an alleged kickback scheme derived from anomalous flood control projects.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has also said that Alcantara has not made any official recantation of his earlier revelations during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing in September 2025.—MCG, GMA Integrated News