The onus is now upon the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to step up its investigation on the flood control projects controversy, with Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson about to step down as Blue Ribbon Committee chairman.

Thus, said Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 5 even as he gave kudos to the Blue Ribbon panel in the short time that Lacson helmed it.

"The departure of Senator Lacson from the Blue Ribbon Committee should now compel the [ICI] to conduct a broad, unrelenting and open sweep of all individuals named in both Senate and House hearings, to determine with precision their respective liabilities, and to recommend the filing of appropriate charges," he said.

"We wish Senator Lacson well, confident that he will continue to pursue his advocacies for good governance and accountability in whatever capacity he chooses in the future," added Ridon, who also led a couple of investigative hearings on the corruption scandal in his capacity as the House of Representatives Infrastructure Committee (infra comm) chairman.

The Palace-created ICI has been carrying out hearings on anomalous and "ghost" since mid-September. However, unlike the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s probe, it's hard to get a grasp of the ICI's progress, since the hearings aren't being livestreamed.

Ridon hailed Lacson for steering the Blue Ribbon panel to very important information regarding the flood control projects mess.

"As Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson vacates the chairmanship of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, his leadership of the panel has yielded the most consequential testimonies and evidence among all proceedings relating to the ongoing flood control corruption controversy," he said.

The lawyer-solon specifically cited the series of admissions by former Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Roberto Bernardo, which he said built upon the initial confessions of other ex-DPWH officials Brice Alcantara and Jaypee Mendoza at the House infra comm hearings.

Ridon said the Senate Blue Ribbon testimonies "laid bare the conspiracy of various actors: contractors, DPWH officials, legislators, and even executive officials, in the plunder of government resources for private gain".

He said the Senate hearings "exposed not only members of Congress as principal participants in the capture of the national budget at every stage of the budget process—from the National Expenditure Program to the Bicameral Conference Committee—but also the involvement of executive officials, particularly in the capture of unprogrammed appropriations, which fall solely within the authority of the executive branch."

Before announcing his resignation, Lacson suspended the scheduled Blue Ribbon panel hearing this week.

Ridon had earlier suspended the conduct of infra comm hearings and facilitated the turnover of his panel's findings to the ICI.