SEN. Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday criticized the release of a minority report on flood control scam, calling it a “symbol of disrespect” to Senate rules and long-standing institutional practices.
Lacson said that issuing a separate report while the committee’s investigation is still ongoing undermines Senate procedure and tradition. He added that while dissenting views are welcomed, these are usually incorporated into a single committee report rather than released independently.
”The Senate has processes, and we should respect them,” he said, adding that the premature release of a minority report risks confusing the public and weakening the credibility of the investigation.
Lacson, who chairs the Blue Ribbon Committee, issued the remark after opposition senators submitted a 576-page minority report recommending the filing of charges against former House speaker Martin Romualdez. The report — which alleges widespread misuse of public funds and systemic failures in flood mitigation programs involving officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways, and politicians — was submitted to the Office of Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Dec. 10, 2025, following a press conference led by Senators Rodante Marcoleta and Imee Marcos.
Signatories to the report were Senators Marcoleta, Marcos, Robinhood Padilla, Ronald Dela Rosa, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Go. Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano did not sign the document, citing illness. Senators Francis Escudero, who is not a member of the Blue Ribbon Committee, and Joel Villanueva also did not sign, saying they would first review the report before taking a position.
The report was based on the first three committee hearings conducted when Marcoleta was still chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, as well as three subsequent hearings presided over by Lacson after he assumed the chairmanship. It claims that politicians, public officials and private individuals were pressured during the hearings. The report includes a diagram suggesting that Romualdez is central to the alleged anomalies.
It added that Romualdez could not escape responsibility even after stepping down as Speaker of the House, noting his lapses as a leader could be sufficient grounds for impeachment proceedings.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III dismissed the document as a “mere piece of paper” that cannot be considered a formal minority report because no official committee report has yet been issued by the Blue Ribbon Committee.
Sotto likened the minority report to a “turno en contra,” or a statement opposing a main speech.
He added that the minority bloc should submit its findings to the Senate Bills and Index Office, which, he said, would wait for the main committee report before any similar document could be discussed in plenary.
