MANILA – Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Monday defended the chamber’s long-observed practice of coordinating with the House of Representatives when inviting its members to hearings, as the inquiry into questionable flood control projects continues.
As chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee, Lacson underscored that all invitations to sitting House lawmakers are transmitted through the Speaker’s office, in keeping with the principles of inter-parliamentary courtesy in a bicameral legislature.
He said the committee has followed this protocol and has already issued invitations through proper channels more than once, unless lawmakers choose to appear on their own.
The issue surfaced after Rodante Marcoleta aired reservations about the investigation and withheld his signature from the panel’s partial report.
Marcoleta questioned the document’s legitimacy, noting the absence of signatures and the unclear classification of the report. He also flagged concerns over its distribution, saying it was shared through a link and carried a watermark without clear authorization.
According to him, the probe requires further hearings and additional testimonies to ensure all angles are covered before any conclusions are finalized.
He also pointed to remarks by former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, suggesting that the latter may be open to addressing the issue and should be invited by the Senate.
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