Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III confirmed on Wednesday that the names of Senators Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, and Francis “Chiz” Escudero appear in a draft and unofficial report of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
In a radio interview, Sotto said Villanueva and Estrada were clearly included in the list, while Escudero was mentioned under a different category.
“I think ‘yung kay Joel at ‘yung kay Jinggoy accurate ‘yun na nandoon talaga sa listahan. Si Chiz, nasa second level nakalagay,” Sotto said.
Villanueva, Estrada, and Escudero have all denied any involvement in the alleged anomalous flood control projects.
Complaints have already been filed before the Department of Justice against Villanueva and Estrada, while none has been lodged against Escudero so far.
Sotto said the draft report contains several “levels,” but declined to explain their meaning, stressing that the document is still unofficial and subject to discussion.
“Mamayang 2 o’clock meron kaming caucus at ‘yung majority nandoon at ipapa more or less ipa approve ng chairman sa mga members kung pwede na ilabas ito today or tomorrow,” he said.
The Senate President noted that the committee intends to prioritize legislative reforms to prevent similar controversies in the future.
“Paano hindi na mauulit ‘yan. Ito, ganito ang batas doon. Ito, dapat ang resolusyon sa DPWH. Ito dapat— ‘Yun ang gusto nila unahin eh,” Sotto said.
He added that the report would also inevitably identify individuals who should be investigated or charged.
“Pero hindi maiiwasan na kasama doon ‘yung mga sino dapat imbestigahan, sino dapat ang kakasuhan ng Ombudsman. Ganoon. ‘Yun ang magiging laman noon,” he said.