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Advocates Philippines
Senate Slams Excuses As Flood-Control Probe Heats Up
Photo credit: Ping Lacson
Lacson fumes over no-shows, lawyer defenses, and falsified documents
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee wasn’t having any of it on Friday — no alibis, no distractions, and definitely no attempts to derail its investigation into alleged irregularities in flood-control projects that have cost taxpayers billions.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, visibly firm and irritated, opened the hearing by stressing one thing loud and clear: the Senate will not be gagged just because some people are facing criminal or administrative cases elsewhere.
Under the committee’s own rules, Lacson reminded everyone, no ongoing case can stop a Senate inquiry. “That principle remains,” he said, pounding on the importance of Congress’ oversight powers.
And he wasn’t done.
Lacson rips into Zaldy Co's camp
When the lawyer of Rep. Zaldy Co tried to argue that appearing in the Senate might “pre-empt” his client’s defenses in other venues, Lacson cut through it immediately.
“Our invitation was directed to Mr. Zaldy Co himself, not to his lawyer,” Lacson shot back.
He then made it crystal clear: The Senate is not subordinate to anyone’s legal strategy.
“Let me state clearly that this Committee takes strong exception to that statement,” he said sharply, reminding Co’s counsel that the Senate has its own constitutional duty — and it will exercise it.
A parade of excuses — and the Senate is tired of it
House Speaker Bojie Dy sent a letter explaining why House members linked to earlier testimonies were absent.
Others sent in excuse letters too:
• Contractor Jonathan Quirante — needs to oversee typhoon-hit sites
• Eumir Villanueva — prior commitment
• Engr. Arjay Domasig — DOJ schedule
• DPWH-NCR Director Gerard Opulencia — medical reason
• South Manila Engineer Manny Bulusan — medical reason
• COA Commissioner Mario Lipana — medical reason
One by one, the excuses piled up — and so did the committee’s frustration.
BI steps in: Some never left, some fled, some missing
To cut through the excuses, the committee asked for the Bureau of Immigration’s help.
BI findings revealed:
• No record of departure for Mark Baquiran Bunagan, Orly Regala Guteza, Mark Tecsay
• Allan Colesio left briefly but returned
• John Paul Estrada, aide to Rep. Co, flew to Hong Kong on Sept. 2 and hasn’t come back
In short: some didn’t leave, some did, and one key aide appears to have bolted.
Falsified notary entries blow up the hearing
Lacson also dropped another bomb:
A Manila RTC judge confirmed discrepancies in the notarization of Guteza’s affidavit.
NBI forensic analysis showed:
• The signature on the document was NOT written by the notary, Atty. Petchie Rose Espera
• Her notarial entries were falsified
“These findings are important to place on record before we proceed,” Lacson told the committee — clearly fed up with the pattern of dodging and deception.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee wasn’t having any of it on Friday — no alibis, no distractions, and definitely no attempts to derail its investigation into alleged irregularities in flood-control projects that have cost taxpayers billions.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, visibly firm and irritated, opened the hearing by stressing one thing loud and clear: the Senate will not be gagged just because some people are facing criminal or administrative cases elsewhere.
Under the committee’s own rules, Lacson reminded everyone, no ongoing case can stop a Senate inquiry. “That principle remains,” he said, pounding on the importance of Congress’ oversight powers.
And he wasn’t done.
Lacson rips into Zaldy Co's camp
When the lawyer of Rep. Zaldy Co tried to argue that appearing in the Senate might “pre-empt” his client’s defenses in other venues, Lacson cut through it immediately.
“Our invitation was directed to Mr. Zaldy Co himself, not to his lawyer,” Lacson shot back.
He then made it crystal clear: The Senate is not subordinate to anyone’s legal strategy.
“Let me state clearly that this Committee takes strong exception to that statement,” he said sharply, reminding Co’s counsel that the Senate has its own constitutional duty — and it will exercise it.
A parade of excuses — and the Senate is tired of it
House Speaker Bojie Dy sent a letter explaining why House members linked to earlier testimonies were absent.
Others sent in excuse letters too:
• Contractor Jonathan Quirante — needs to oversee typhoon-hit sites
• Eumir Villanueva — prior commitment
• Engr. Arjay Domasig — DOJ schedule
• DPWH-NCR Director Gerard Opulencia — medical reason
• South Manila Engineer Manny Bulusan — medical reason
• COA Commissioner Mario Lipana — medical reason
One by one, the excuses piled up — and so did the committee’s frustration.
BI steps in: Some never left, some fled, some missing
To cut through the excuses, the committee asked for the Bureau of Immigration’s help.
BI findings revealed:
• No record of departure for Mark Baquiran Bunagan, Orly Regala Guteza, Mark Tecsay
• Allan Colesio left briefly but returned
• John Paul Estrada, aide to Rep. Co, flew to Hong Kong on Sept. 2 and hasn’t come back
In short: some didn’t leave, some did, and one key aide appears to have bolted.
Falsified notary entries blow up the hearing
Lacson also dropped another bomb:
A Manila RTC judge confirmed discrepancies in the notarization of Guteza’s affidavit.
NBI forensic analysis showed:
• The signature on the document was NOT written by the notary, Atty. Petchie Rose Espera
• Her notarial entries were falsified
“These findings are important to place on record before we proceed,” Lacson told the committee — clearly fed up with the pattern of dodging and deception.
Nov 14, 2025
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