The Supreme Court (SC) has declined to issue a temporary restraining order (RO) that would have frozen the original version of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s (SBRC) draft partial report regarding anomalous flood control projects.
While the high court denied the immediate relief sought by petitioners, it directed the Blue Ribbon panel—previously chaired by Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson—to submit its comment on the petition within 15 days.
The legal challenge was mounted by lawyers Eldrige Marvin Aceron, Sikini Labastilla, and Purificacion Bartolome-Bernabe. Their petition aimed to preserve the integrity of a draft that reportedly recommended plunder charges against several high-ranking officials before some senators withdrew their support.
The controversial document has already moved to the next stage of the legal process. On May 12, the Office of the Ombudsman confirmed it had received the report from Lacson’s office. Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano stated:
“The document will be referred to the teams handling various flood control-related investigations for evaluation and possible use in the ongoing cases.”
The petitioners argue that the public has a constitutional right to the information, especially since the contents were already publicized by Lacson. They noted that the original draft allegedly recommended criminal charges against Senators Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, and former Representative Zaldy Co.
However, the report’s stability was rocked when Senators Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, JV Ejercito, and Win Gatchalian reportedly withdrew their signatures after the document was leaked on February 3.
The petitioners are now asking the SC to compel these senators to explain their withdrawals and to ensure a certified copy reaches the Senate Ethics Committee.
Despite the withdrawals, the report maintained significant backing from other lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, and Senators Bam Aquino, Risa Hontiveros, Erwin Tulfo, and Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan.