MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Tuesday, October 6, rejected claims that the Office of the Senate President Pro Tempore was stripped of its furnishings after he turned it over to Senator Jinggoy Estrada in 2022.
Lacson said he handed over the office to Estrada in proper condition, stressing that the renovations he had undertaken were paid for using government funds.
“I take exception to the statement pertaining to the state or condition of the same Pro Tempore office that I turned over to Sen. Estrada in 2022. Nothing was removed nor destroyed, precisely because government funds were used when I refurbished it when it was turned over to me,” Lacson said in a social media post.
His remarks came after Estrada denied allegations that his camp deliberately left the office empty before it was turned over to Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, the current Senate President Pro Tempore.
Estrada said Sotto’s team had been informed ahead of the October 5 deadline that fixtures and furnishings would be transferred to his new office.
He also explained that several items in the office, including floor tiles, glass panels, lighting fixtures and cabinets, were personally purchased because the Senate budget was insufficient to cover the entire renovation.
“Let it be stressed that not a single centavo of public funds was wasted,” Estrada said.
The issue gained attention after Lacson posted an AI-generated image depicting Sotto inside an almost empty room, furnished only with a monobloc table and chair and a kerosene lamp, locally known as a “lampara.”
Sotto was expected to occupy the Pro Tempore office vacated by Estrada this week. However, the office was reportedly cleared out when Sotto’s camp checked it on Monday.
Estrada served as Senate President Pro Tempore under then-Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero from May 2024 until September 2025.
After Escudero was replaced, Lacson was elected Senate President Pro Tempore but chose not to occupy the office previously used by Estrada.
Estrada is currently detained at the Quezon City Jail while facing plunder charges in connection with the alleged flood control scam.