SENATE President Pro Tempore and Blue Ribbon Committee Chair Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has rejected the so-called “minority report” on the flood control scandal, saying it has no standing under Senate rules and undermines the authority of the committee conducting the investigation.
Lacson stressed that there is only one duly constituted Blue Ribbon Committee handling the inquiry and that any official committee report must come from that body and carry the signatures of a majority of its members.
Under Senate rules, he said, a report cannot be issued by a small bloc outside the committee’s authority.
“How will I respect a document that symbolizes disrespect toward the Blue Ribbon Committee and the entire Senate?” Lacson said in an interview on DZMM, adding that respect must be mutual.
He pointed out that the document was signed by only six of the nine members of the minority bloc and did not pass through proper committee processes.
“Respect begets respect,” Lacson said, explaining that a report issued in defiance of Senate procedure cannot be treated as legitimate.
For this reason, he said, the so-called minority report has no official value and deserves no consideration, declaring bluntly that its only place is “in the trash bin.”
