Lacson: Draft Blue Ribbon report maybe among reasons for Senate coup try

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said Thursday the draft report of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee recommending charges against three incumbent senators may be among the reasons why there was an attempt to change the leadership in the Senate.

"I think so. We have good reason to suspect na may ugat din du'n ,"  Lacson said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(I think so. We have good reason to suspect that it was also rooted in that.)

Lacson, chairman of the blue ribbon panel, earlier confirmed that the committee report is poised to recommend the filing of criminal and administrative charges against incumbent and former lawmakers implicated in the flood control scandal.

They include Senators Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, and Francis "Chiz" Escudero, former senator Bong Revilla, former Ako Bicol party-List representative Zaldy Co, and former Caloocan representative Mitch Cajayon-Uy.

"Nagkaroon na rin ng vulnerabilities 'yung iba naming kasamahan sa majority kung na-appeal sa kanila 'yung, to their emotion," Lacson said. 

(Some of our colleagues in the majority had vulnerabilities if the report appealed to their emotions.)

"Ito speculation lang 'to, pinag-usapan namin ni Senate President [Tito Sotto]. Madaling sabihing, 'Nakita niyo na, hindi kayo kayang proteksyunan, hindi tayo kayang proteksyunan ng leadership,'" Lacson added. 

(This is just speculation, the Senate President talked about this. It's easy to say that the leadership can't protect us.) 

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III on Wednesday said the Senate majority bloc foiled an attempt to unseat him. 

To recall, Sotto said that the Senate presidency was dangled to Senator Loren Legarda by members of the minority bloc, but Legarda told him that she is not interested in the position. — VDV, GMA Integrated News