Senator Alan Peter Cayetano accused Senator Ping Lacson of being the only former chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee who dictated the direction of investigations, alleging that inquiries under Lacson were driven by predetermined conclusions instead of evidence.
Speaking during a Facebook Live broadcast, Cayetano said he has closely followed the work of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee since 2007 and claimed that previous chairpersons generally allowed investigations to unfold based on the evidence presented.
According to Cayetano, Lacson departed from that practice by allegedly deciding the direction of committee proceedings, identifying who should be considered guilty, and influencing the referral of cases to the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman.
“Pero during the time of Sen. Lacson, kaisa-isa siyang chairman na obvious na obvious dini-determine ang direction ng committee. Siya na nagtuturo kung sinong guilty o hindi. Pati papunta sa DOJ, papunta sa Ombudsman. Parang nagpapasahan. So very very clear yan,” Cayetano said.
The senator also took a swipe at Lacson, accusing him of being “excellent” at “whitewashing” investigations.
During the same livestream, Cayetano shifted to the issue of corruption, saying the country needs a permanent system to ensure accountability regardless of who occupies public office. He argued that investigations into alleged irregularities involving flood control and infrastructure projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways should continue beyond the current administration.
Cayetano warned that failing to sustain anti-corruption efforts would allow the same problems to recur, likening unresolved corruption to an untreated illness that becomes more difficult to eliminate over time.
