By Leonardo Micua

 

THE latest rigodon in the Senate, which saw Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III succeeding Francis Escudero as Senate president, hardly came as a surprise. It was, in fact, an ouster waiting to happen.

When Sotto’s closest ally, Senator Panfilo Lacson, exposed in a privileged speech the existence of multi-billion-peso ghost and substandard flood control projects across the country, suspicion quickly spread that some members of the majority—then led by Escudero—had dipped their hands into the lucrative scheme.

From that point on, Escudero’s hold on the presidency literally hung in the balance.

It was only proper for most of the senators to act to dissociate themselves from those whose hands were greased by dirty money and preserve the unsullied name of the Senate as an institution.

Of course, as statesmen, new Senate President Sotto and his chief ally Lacson won’t admit this as the reason for the change of Senate leadership.

The shake-up did not stop with Escudero’s dethronement. Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senate Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, and Blue Ribbon chair Rodante Marcoleta were replaced as well.

After the successful coup d’état, Sotto, vowed to restore transparency and safeguard the chamber’s independence from Malacanang.

Many are saying the Senate is finally back in good hands with the veteran Sotto at the helm.

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Lacson’s assumption as Blue Ribbon chair – replacing Marcoleta, who was seen as more intent on shielding his colleagues than exposing the truth – assured the public that there will be no sacred cows when the investigation of the flood control mess resumes next week.

Note that the scandal did not spare members of the House of Representatives, with names dropped by husband and wife contractors Pacifico and Sarah Discaya, during a Senate hearing, though they curiously did not name any senator in their narratives. 

Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto, however, cast doubt on the credibility of the Discaya couple, warning lawmakers not to take their word at face value, given their tendency to lie and muddy issues till they fade from public memory.

In a House inquiry led by Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, former Bulacan assistant engineer Brice Hernandez, now detained for contempt by the Senate, boldly accused Senators Estrada and Villanueva of allegedly benefiting from alleged anomalous flood control projects in his province.

Both senators quickly denied Hernandez’ serious accusation that they were showered with kickbacks from flood control projects they downloaded in Bulacan, with Jinggoy daring his accuser that they, together submit themselves to lie-detector tests to know who’s lying. 

The brazenness is staggering. Funds meant to shield communities from deadly floods were channeled into private pockets, much of which appeared to have been used as bets in casinos, while towns remain vulnerable to calamities.

The public, watching the hearings live on YouTube and TV, is aghast at the brazen corruption of public funds.

More bombshells are expected in the coming days. What matters now is whether both chambers of Congress can prove worthy of their mandates. Investigations must be thorough, impartial and unrelenting. No official—however high-ranking—should be spared if found guilty.

The truth must come out. The guilty must be charged with plunder and face the full force of the law.

Anything less would make a mockery of justice, and of the people whose lives and safety were betrayed by the squandering of public funds.

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I am glad to hear that the budget of the ongoing construction of the Calmay Bridge in Dagupan will not be affected by the current probe on botched flood control projects in Bulacan, in the Mindoros and other parts of the country.

More than P400 million was first released for the project for Phase 1, with Phase II needing the same amount.

With the Calmay Bridge in place, it could significantly decongest traffic from Lucao, Dagupan City, to Binmaley and vice versa, shortening travel time from one and a half hours to just 20 minutes between the two points.

Let’s hope and pray that this bridge will be completed before PBBM finishes his term to form part of his many legacies to the nation.

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