COINCIDENCE OR NOT, filing of criminal charges against three senators linked to the flood control scandal will have to wait longer as the blue ribbon committee recommended another review on the supposed evidence against peers at the upper chamber.
Committee chair Sen. Panfilo Lacson cited the need to boost the evidence through what he referred to as case build-up against fellow legislators Francis Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva.
BACKPEDALLING PING
Previously, Lacson hinted at a draft committee report recommending the filing of plunder charges against Escudero, Estrada and Villanueva.
He explained that the word charged or to be charged, to a layman, sounds like the person is already in court, which is why the word was changed to “undergo preliminary investigation or fact-finding investigation or case buildup.
We can’t recommend to the court that someone be charged, because only the Department of Justice and the Ombudsman are authorized to file the information for any person to be charged before the court,” Lacson explained.
“There was nothing substantial changed. We never deviated from the original intent of our committee report, which was for the subject to undergo a preliminary investigation,” he added.
Despite the change in the committee report, Lacson maintained that the recommendation of his panel did not weaken at all.
FOILED SENATE COUP
According to Lacson, the move has nothing at all to do with the failed coup, but is merely meant to correct and finalize the committee report after a supposed consultation among members of the senate majority.
He also denied that the word change in the committee report was made after a supposed discontentment of the minority bloc or the recent attempt for a coup d’etat against Senate President Vicente Sotto III as the report has not reached the minority bloc yet.
The Inquirer said a copy of the draft and partial report, which was previously leaked to the media, showed that aside from plunder, the committee sought the filing of malversation of public funds, and direct bribery against the Escudero, Estrada, Villanueva, former Senator Bong Revilla and former Rep. Mitch Cajayon-Uy.
While he emphasized that the draft report is still subject to change, Lacson earlier said he would stand by the recommendations to file criminal charges against the aforementioned officials.
PURE SEMANTICS
Such caution in semantics was not enjoyed by officials and contractors of the Department of Public Works and Highways, who were forthwith jailed based on their admissions before the BRC hearings. Some have been even detained in the Senate for contempt.
But senators and other congressmen are lucky because they can invoke interparliamentary courtesy and not attend hearings, or threaten walk-out or coup to wiggle away from criminal or civil liabilities. Such is the selective justice in the Philippines.
The committee report has drawn mixed reactions. Some critics called the report biased for excluding certain lawmakers, including former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who was accused of involvement in the flood control scam, while others focused on those slated to face charges.
But Lacson maintained that the committee “cannot go beyond” the evidence presented in previous hearings. Rather than criticize the report, he challenged his colleagues to submit their own evidence to help the panel produce a truly evidence-based report.
LACSON BEGS OFF
Senator Imee Marcos on Monday insinuated that the alleged coup was motivated by the lack of internal support, as senators themselves, who are mandated to protect the institution, were being targeted in the flood control probe led by their colleagues.
Asked what would happen should some of his peers ask that this be removed from the recommendations, Lacson said he would no longer sponsor the report.