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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Marami pang dapat maungkat': Senate probe on flood control anomalies must press on — Sotto

'Marami pang dapat maungkat': Senate probe on flood control anomalies must press on — Sotto

Published May 4, 2026 10:40 am

At A Glance

  • Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said on Monday, May 4, that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee should continue its investigation into alleged anomalies in flood control projects, stressing that there are still things to be uncovered.
Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said on Monday, May 4, that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee should continue its investigation into alleged anomalies in flood control projects, stressing that there are still things to be uncovered.
Senate President Vicente
Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III (Senate PRIB photo)
Sotto made the statement following plans by Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, who chairs the committee, to deliver a privilege speech outlining the contents of his Chairman's Progress Report on the probe.
"That will be recorded in the journal of the Senate. It could be interpellated, it could be carried on, pero okay naman yun (but that's okay). I don't see any problem," Sotto said.
In a previous interview, Lacson said that he has drafted a Chairman's Progress Report since he cannot report out the partial committee report on the Senate floor due to the lack of needed signatures. To get it over with, he thought of drafting a progress report.
Under Senate rules, at least nine signatures are required for a committee report to be adopted. So far, only six senators have signed the document, which includes recommendations to investigate several lawmakers for possible filing of charges.
Among those named in the recommendations are Senators Francis "Chiz" Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, and Joel Villanueva.
According to Sotto, the Senate inquiry must press on, noting that there are still many matters to uncover not only in Luzon but also in the Visayas and Mindanao. He added that the 2025 national budget, which he described as a “killer budget” that went haywire, should also be further examined in connection with the issue.
"Marami pang mga nangyayaring dapat maungkat, hindi lang sa Luzon kundi sa Visayas at Mindanao doon sa 2025 budget (There are still many issues that need to be brought to light, not only in Luzon but also in the Visayas and Mindanao, regarding the 2025 budget)," Sotto said.
"Yun ang pinaka-crucial eh, kumbaga sa ano, yun ang killer budget, doon talaga nagka-loko-loko eh (That’s the most crucial part—so to speak, it’s the killer budget, that’s where things really went haywire)," he added.
The 2025 national budget had earlier been hounded by allegations that billions of pesos were inserted to fund supposed “ghost” flood control projects, which were allegedly used as a source of kickbacks.
Asked whether former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who has been named among those accused, should face the Senate investigation, Sotto said all individuals who could help shed light on the case should be invited and investigated.

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