Lacson resigns as Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chair

Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson has resigned as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, stating his decision is final due to dissatisfaction from colleagues regarding his handling of the investigation into anomalous flood control projects.

Lacson mentioned that some senators believe he is unfairly targeting colleagues while allegedly protecting House lawmakers linked to the projects.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III confirmed receiving Lacson's resignation letter and revealed that Senators JV Ejercito, Raffy Tulfo, Pia Cayetano, Francis Pangilinan, and Risa Hontiveros are being considered as potential successors.

A caucus among the Senate majority is scheduled to formally discuss the leadership vacancy.

Despite public calls for him to stay, Lacson remained firm in his decision to step down from the chairmanship, although he will continue to sit in the committee as an ex-officio member.

Sotto described Lacson as an objective investigator but acknowledged that the intense scrutiny during the committee's probes left the former chair frustrated.

The vacancy follows tensions in the Senate after Lacson's remarks that nearly all senators had made insertions into the 2025 budget.