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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Lacson vows to prioritize internal cleansing of Senate blue ribbon panel

Lacson vows to prioritize internal cleansing of Senate blue ribbon panel

Published Sep 10, 2025 09:39 am

At A Glance

  • Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said an internal cleansing of the panel is in order after an alleged staff of Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada was linked to a supposed "delivery of obligation," more commonly known as a bribe, during a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Wednesday, September 10 said an internal cleansing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will be one of his priorities as its new chairman.

Lacson said an internal cleansing of the panel is in order after an alleged staff of Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada was linked to a supposed “delivery of obligation,” more commonly known as a bribe, during a congressional hearing on Tuesday.

Estrada had identified the person, a certain Beng Ramos, who is a staff of the blue ribbon panel.

“In the House committee hearing today (Tuesday), a Blue Ribbon staff member identified by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada as Beng Ramos was linked to a supposed delivery of obligation aka 'lagay' by WJ Construction that was awarded a project by then Bulacan 1st DEO Henry Alcantara,” Lacson said in a post on X.

“Since I am not sure if there is only one Beng Ramos in the Blue Ribbon Committee which I was just elected by my peers to chair, just like (Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary) Vince Dizon, maybe I also need to do a simultaneous internal cleansing while buckling down to work,” he added.

https://x.com/iampinglacson/status/1965395218855018776

The former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief said he will immediately buckle down to work and continue where the former chairman, Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, has left off. He said a thorough cleansing of the committee is important since it is tasked to look into government misconduct and to check accountability.

Lacson recalled that when he conducted an internal cleansing of the PNP when he was its chief from 1999 to 2001, it led to a high public trust in the institution which was then riddled by mulcting policemen and other misfits.

On Tuesday, former Bulacan assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez claimed in a House inquiry that Estrada received a 30-percent kickback from P355 million worth of allocations for flood control projects in Bulacan.

Hernandez also showed photos of Estrada with ex-Bulacan first engineering district head Henry Alcantara - and screenshots of a message exchange involving an alleged member of Estrada's staff identified as Beng Ramos.

Estrada vehemently denied the allegations and said he had no staff member named “Beng Ramos” since entering the Senate in 2004. But Estrada said Ramos was a staff member of the Blue Ribbon Committee, and a former girlfriend of one of his Senate staff.

Related Tags

ping lacson Senate Blue Ribbon Committee internal cleansing
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