Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has publicly criticized Senate Deputy Minority Leader Rodante Marcoleta for his continued refusal to sign the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s partial report, countering claims that committee members were not properly informed.
During a privilege speech on Monday, Lacson—who leads the upper chamber’s anti-graft panel—presented updates on the unsponsored partial report and maintained that legislative protocols were strictly observed.
He noted that the comprehensive, 400-page document had been disseminated electronically to all members well in advance.
“In line with Senate practice, we have provided … PDF copies to every office to allow our members to have sufficient time for review,” Lacson said.
The panel chairperson emphasized that providing the digital format fulfilled the requirement for official notification of the report’s details.
“Common sense lang sa isa nating kasamahan, na pilit naghahanap ng original signed copy at ginawang pang dahilan sa hindi niya pagpirma,” he said.
Though Lacson did not explicitly name him, Marcoleta had previously challenged the legitimacy of the findings, arguing that the document his office received was merely an unsigned draft.
In an earlier privilege speech delivered on March 9, Marcoleta stated that the electronic copy sent to his office bore an “OS MARCOLETA” watermark and lacked the chairperson’s endorsement.
“Yet the said partial report does not bear the signature of the Chairman (which is) a formality ordinarily expected of any report issued by a committee, particularly from the Blue Ribbon Committee,” Marcoleta said.
Lacson immediately countered the assertion on the same day, clarifying that the former Blue Ribbon chairperson had been given access to both printed and digital versions since February 11.
“But he has not signed it even with an ‘I dissent’ remark. It follows that as chairman I was the first to sign before routing the same contrary to his claim that I did not,” Lacson said.
The partial report currently lacks two more endorsements to reach the nine-signature threshold required before it can be formally sponsored and debated on the Senate plenary floor.
According to Lacson, Senator Raffy Tulfo was the most recent lawmaker to sign the document. The other members who have already affixed their signatures include Senate President Vicente Sotto III, alongside Senators Bam Aquino, Risa Hontiveros, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Erwin Tulfo, and Lacson himself.