AT least five senators are being considered to replace Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson as chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee following his resignation on Monday.
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III confirmed on Tuesday that discussions have begun on Lacson’s possible successor, naming Senators JV Ejercito, Raffy Tulfo, Pia Cayetano, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, and Risa Hontiveros among the options.
“For me, whoever is recommended by Senator Lacson would have a very strong edge over anybody else,” Sotto said in an interview on Unang Balita, adding that the final decision will be discussed in a majority caucus set for Wednesday.
Sotto said he had tried to dissuade Lacson from resigning but doubted he could still convince him to stay after the senator formally submitted his resignation letter.
In his letter, Lacson cited the “disappointment” of some colleagues over the “direction” of the committee’s probe into alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
He noted that several senators have accused him of singling out fellow lawmakers while allegedly protecting members of the House of Representatives linked to the controversy.
The committee has been conducting hearings on the supposed anomalies in government flood control projects.
