By Wilnard Bacelonia
MANILA – Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said on Wednesday the ongoing Senate Blue Ribbon Committee probe into alleged flood control anomalies has yet to identify a single “overall mastermind,” pointing instead to a pattern of localized and interconnected corruption.
Lacson, who also chairs the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said evidence gathered by the panel so far suggests that irregularities may be driven by multiple actors operating within specific areas rather than a centralized figure directing the scheme.
“I don’t think there’s an overall mastermind… bawat region o bawat district may sarili (each region or district appears to have its own),” Lacson said during a Kapihan sa Senado forum.
“Interlocking itong nangyayari. May kanya-kanyang galaw pero nagkakatugma (What’s happening is interlocking. Each has their own moves but they align),” he added.
He said the pattern points to a system driven by greed, with officials and contractors exploiting public works projects through substandard implementation or ghost projects.
“Greed ito… kaya nagkakaroon ng ganitong kalakaran (This is driven by greed… that’s why these schemes happen),” Lacson said.
The committee will continue to focus on specific cases, particularly projects found to be defective or nonexistent, as it expands the investigation to Visayas and Mindanao, Lacson added.
Lacson said findings of the panel would still form part of its recommendations to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice for possible filing of charges. (PNA)
