Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said in a Facebook Live that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the flood-control scandal will proceed despite sudden leadership and committee changes inside the chamber.
Cayetano said the investigation must push through because the flood-control scandal requires a fair and impartial inquiry that will satisfy the Filipino people. He said the Senate must hear the testimonies of invited personalities, including those linked to the alleged delivery of kickbacks in the controversy.
“We need to investigate the flood control scam in a very impartial way that will be satisfactory to all our people,” Cayetano said. “Tuloy ang hearing ng Blue Ribbon Committee.”
The statement came as the Senate faced another shakeup, with Senator Win Gatchalian named Senate President Pro Tempore and several committees placed under new leadership. Under the new lineup, Sen. Erwin Tulfo was assigned to the Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, also known as the Blue Ribbon Committee.
Cayetano questioned the legality of the moves and claimed the committee changes were meant to stop the Blue Ribbon hearing from proceeding.
“Wala naman po silang ginawa ngayon kung hindi baguhin ang mga committee para walang Blue Ribbon hearing bukas,” Cayetano said. He added that the Senate still has functioning committees and must hear the testimonies of those invited to the inquiry.
He maintained that he remains the “legitimate, legal, moral Senate President of the Republic of the Philippines,” while warning that blocking the hearing would also block the public from hearing testimony tied to the flood-control scandal.
“You can try to stop us, but you will be stopping the Filipino people,” Cayetano said.
The hearing now carries heavier national attention because of the public speculation surrounding former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who has been placed at the center of political questions tied to the flood-control scandal. As the Blue Ribbon inquiry moves forward, one of the biggest questions is whether Romualdez will appear before the panel and answer questions directly, or whether his absence will deepen public scrutiny over his role in the controversy.
