Lacson: Claims that VP Duterte impeachment trial will derail flood control probe part of 'early campaigning'
By Dhel Nazario
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson laughed off claims linking the upcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte to the Senate's ongoing investigation into anomalous flood control projects.
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson (Facebook)
According to Lacson, such attempts are being pushed by politicians already in "campaign mode" for the 2028 elections.
Lacson said that he and his fellow members of the Senate majority bloc have chosen not to dignify the insinuation with a response.
"Hayaan na lang natin silang mangampanya. Hindi talaga made-derail yan. Given naman yan, sinasabi lang yan, alam mo kasi may mga kasamahan kami na tatakbo sa 2028. Naunawaan namin ang kanilang mga Facebook Live, kanilang social media, kanilang interview sa media (We'll just leave them to their campaigning. Everyone knows the impeachment trial will not derail the flood control probe. Such tales are not surprising because we have colleagues in the Senate who are running in 2028, thus their heavy use of Facebook Live and other social media platforms, and media interviews)," he said in an interview with IBC News late Friday, when asked about the claim.
"Naunawaan namin ang kanilang mga sinasabi kasi this early campaign mode na yung iba. So ang position namin, kami sa majority, huwag na lang patulan (We understand their plight and their need to go into early campaign mode. So our position in the majority is not to dignify their claims with a response)," he added.
Earlier this week, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who Lacson refers to as the "disgraced" ex-Senate President, said the upcoming impeachment trial of the Vice President should not stop the Senate from its flood control probe.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, under new chairman Senator Erwin Tulfo, is handling the investigation into the flood control mess and is expected to continue the work initiated under Lacson's leadership of the investigation.