'May posibilidad': Lacson may return as Blue Ribbon panel chair -- Sotto
By Dhel Nazario
There's still a possibility that Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson would regain his role as the chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson (Senate PRIB photo)
This was disclosed by Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III in an interview on Saturday, Oct. 18, over DWIZ radio.
"Ang sinasabi ko lang is may posibilidad (What I’m saying is that there’s a possibility)," Sotto said.
"In other words, di ko pwedeng sabihing imposible na (I can't say that it's impossible)," he added.
Sotto stated this while discussing the request for house arrest from sacked Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan 1st district engineers Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez, and Jaypee Mendoza.
According to him, he's still studying the request while remaining in constant consultation with the members of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. Currently, the panel is headed by Senator Erwin Tulfo as its acting chairman.
"Hopefully, makatawag kami ng meeting very soon before the end of October, and then hopefully, baka medyo makumbinsi natin si Senator Lacson na bumalik (Hopefully, we can call a meeting very soon before the end of October, and then hopefully, we might be able to convince Senator Lacson to return). All's well that ends well," Sotto said.
"Karamihan ng kasama ko sa majority gusto eh. Gusto siya bumalik eh (Most of my colleagues in the majority want it. They want him to come back)," he added.
Lacson earlier resigned as the panel's chairperson, as he cited the disapproval of some of his colleagues in the conduct of the investigation into the anomalous flood control projects as the reason. Sotto said that Lacson would fare better as a critic.
Lacson earlier declined his fellow senators' call for him to reconsider his decision to give up the chairmanship.
“When I say no it’s no, when I say yes it’s yes,” he said.