Former Ako Bicol party-list representative Elizaldy Co will no longer be allowed to testify remotely before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s investigation into alleged corruption in flood control projects, Senate President Pro Tempore and committee chair Panfilo Lacson announced Thursday.
Lacson said he reconsidered the initial plan to allow Co to join via Zoom, warning that virtual participation could give the former lawmaker an unchecked platform to deliver statements with no evidentiary value — or even launch propaganda — without the risk of being cited in contempt.
“I didn’t push through with the initial plan to invite him via Zoom. On second thought, the hearing might afford him a platform to say anything he wants, even with no probative value and worse, for propaganda purposes only, without any accountability for, at least, possible contempt citation,” he said.
Co’s camp earlier informed the committee that he is currently in the United States for medical treatment and cannot attend Friday’s hearing in person.
Lacson, who has been recovering from a strained voice, said he is now focused on regaining his full speaking strength ahead of the Senate’s deliberations on the proposed 2026 national budget and the continuation of the Blue Ribbon Committee’s inquiry.
He also shrugged off comments and “predictions” made by Senator Imee Marcos regarding the upcoming hearing. “More than Sen. Imee’s crystal ball, my bigger concern is how to recover my normal voice in time for tomorrow’s BRC hearing or this afternoon’s budget plenary debates,” he said.
The Senate begins debates on the 2026 national budget Thursday afternoon, while on Friday, Lacson will preside over the Blue Ribbon Committee’s investigation into alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
Lacson reiterated that he will continue to lead the probe with a “blindfold mentality,” guided solely by evidence presented before the committee.