Sotto: Draft report on flood control mess includes senators’ names

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said Wednesday that the draft and unofficial report of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee contained the names of Senators Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, and Chiz Escudero.

“I think ‘yung kay Joel at ‘yung kay Jinggoy accurate ‘yun na nandoon talaga sa listahan. Si Chiz, nasa second level nakalagay,” Sotto said on Super Radyo dzBB.

(I think the part about Joel and Jinggoy is accurate, they are really there in the list. Chiz is at the second level.)

Villanueva, Estrada, and Escudero have previously denied any involvement in the anomalous flood control projects. Complaints have been filed against Villanueva and Estrada before the Department of Justice but none has been filed against Escudero yet.

According to Sotto, the draft report contains “levels” but he declined to divulge what it means yet.

Sotto previously stressed that the draft committee report is not yet official and that it is still up for discussion.

“Mamayang 2 o'clock meron kaming caucus at 'yung majority nandoon at ipapa more or less ipa approve ng chairman sa mga members kung pwede na ilabas ito today or tomorrow,” he said.

(Today at 2 o’clock we have a caucus and the majority will be there, and the chairman will more or less have the members approve whether this can be released today or tomorrow.)

He said that the committee is seeking to concentrate on legislative proposals.

“Paano hindi na mauulit ‘yan. Ito, ganito ang batas doon. Ito, dapat ang resolusyon sa DPWH. Ito dapat— ‘Yun ang gusto nila unahin eh,” Sotto said.

(How to make sure that this does not happen again. This is the law on that. This should be the resolution for the DPWH. This should— that’s what they want to prioritize.)

“Pero hindi maiiwasan na kasama doon ‘yung mga sino dapat imbestigahan, sino dapat ang kakasuhan ng Ombudsman. Ganoon. ‘Yun ang magiging laman noon,” he added.

(But it cannot be avoided that those who should be investigated and who should be charged by the Ombudsman are included. That’s how it is. That will be its content.)

In a press statement, Lacson said members of the Blue Ribbon committee will discuss the draft partial committee report on the flood control scandal, in accordance with the committee's rules, on Wednesday afternoon.

He said many of the committee members prefer to discuss and understand the contents of the draft report before signing it.

"Maybe due to the complexity and sensitivity involving the issues and personalities mentioned in the draft committee report, many members prefer to discuss and understand the contents of the report before they affix their signatures. Others may want to include their inputs," Lacson said.

"That being said, I am aware that the chairman is not the committee. In fact, it is composed of 17 regular and three ex-officio members. As such, the report needs at least 11 signatures to make it an official committee report to be deliberated in plenary," he added.

He further said that as the chairman, he is open to hear the suggestions or recommendations from the Blue Ribbon members "as long as everything is aligned with the practical realities, especially those already undergoing preliminary investigations by the Department of Justice and Ombudsman which the partial committee report merely restated as part of its recommendations."  —AOL, GMA Integrated News