MANILA, Philippines – Newly-elected Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson announced Tuesday he will conduct an “internal cleansing” of the panel following allegations linking a staff member to irregularities in flood control projects.
The move comes after Bulacan 1st district assistant engineer Brice Hernandez presented conversations from December 2022 during a House hearing with an individual identified as Beng Ramos, who Hernandez claimed was a staff member of Senator Jinggoy Estrada.
Senator Estrada has stated he has had no staff named Beng Ramos since entering the Senate in 2004, clarifying that the individual was previously affiliated with the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and was a former girlfriend of one of his staff members.
Lacson emphasized the necessity of the review given the committee’s mandate to investigate government misconduct and ensure accountability. “Since I am not sure if there is only one beng Ramos in the Blue Ribbon committee which I was just elected by my peers to chair,just like DPWH Sec Vince Dizon,maybe I also need to do a simultaneous internal cleansing while buckling down to work,” he said.
Lacson was elected chairman of the Blue Ribbon panel on Tuesday, succeeding Senator Rodante Marcoleta.
Investigation Underway
Estrada’s office has formally requested an investigation from the office of Senate Secretary Atty.Renato bantug Jr. regarding Ramos’s actions, asserting that she “was never authorized to use the senator’s name nor to act in his behalf.”
“If proven guilty of misrepresenting the Senator, we expect that she will be meted with the appropriate penalty,” Estrada’s chief of staff Atty. Racquel Mejia stated in a letter.
Estrada also indicated he intends to file a case against Hernandez regarding allegations made during the House inquiry that he received a 30% kickback from P355 million in allocations. -AOL, GMA integrated News
