By Itchie G. Cabayan
As rumors swirled over the weekend regarding his resignation, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson indeed stepped down from the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairmanship which is looking into the anomalous involving flood control projects nationwide.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III confirmed having received Lacson’s resignation letter, saying he actually approved of the way Lacson handled the investigation.
Sotto also denied rumors of another Senate coup, saying the ‘Senate is stable,’ even as he expressed confidence that he still has the support of the majority and as such, there is no need for any loyalty check to be done.
He stressed that the rumors are just part of intrigues.
This was echoed by Lacson, who described the rumors of another Senate coup to replace Sotto with Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano as “the same old rehashed psy war tactic all over again intended to confuse and sow intrigue among the members of the majority.”
The rumor, he added, had nothing to do with his decision to step down as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon.
Sotto also said he continues to support Lacson whom he said, is frustrated, not stressed.
“Pag nag-hearing siya may umaangal. Pag hindi nag-hearing, may umaangal. Ano ba talaga?” said Sotto.
In his letter, Lacson stated: “All I can say is – I can handle all the pressure. It’s frustration that’s hard to bear… Rest assured, there’s no wavering in my advocacy against the corrupt and rotten system, particularly the misuse and abuse of public funds.”
Lacson also said that: “All committee chairpersons, whether in the Senate or in the House, we serve at the pleasure of our peers, particularly the members of our majority bloc.”
He added: “When my peers already lack faith in me, especially when a majority of them are unhappy over how the Blue Ribbon is being handled, maybe stepping down is an option.”
