LACSON CONFRONTS MARCOLETA ON SENATE FLOOR OVER WEST PHILIPPINE SEA STANCE AND DISCAYA TIES

Seven months into the Senate's flood control probe, the two senators at the center of it ended up in a live floor fight over who was investigating — and who was protecting the wrong people.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson took the floor on Tuesday, March 10, delivering a privilege speech directly responding to Sen. Rodante Marcoleta's speech the previous day.

The exchange went past prepared remarks and into open interpellation, ending with the session briefly suspended and the matter referred to the Rules Committee.

WHAT MARCOLETA SAID ON MONDAY

Marcoleta delivered his privilege speech on March 9, targeting Lacson's leadership of the Blue Ribbon Committee.

His central charge: seven months after the Senate began its flood control probe, Lacson had still not released a comprehensive committee report — offering only a partial one, and even that document, Marcoleta argued, bore no chairman's signature.

"The people have waited long enough. It has been seven months since the first Blue Ribbon Hearing. Yet the said partial report does not bear the signature of the Chairman," Marcoleta said.

He also questioned why the committee had not summoned 18 individuals claiming to be former Marines, who alleged they had delivered suitcases of cash from former Congressman Zaldy Co to various government officials.

LACSON'S RESPONSE

Lacson disputed the unsigned-report claim on procedural grounds.

Soft and hard copies, he said, were sent to all committee members' offices as early as February 11. Signatures come when the report is formally filed and sponsored. Marcoleta's office had the document for a month and had neither signed it nor entered a dissent.

"Why is he now looking for a Blue Ribbon Committee report that had been in his office for a month," Lacson said.

Only Sen. Paolo "Bam" Aquino IV signed the partial draft report.

On the ex-Marines, Lacson said the figures in their allegations — an alleged P805-billion cash delivery scheme — were logistically impossible to execute. The committee's job, he said, is to build cases on verifiable evidence.

THE HARDER QUESTIONS

Lacson did not limit his response to the procedural fight.

He raised Marcoleta's record on the West Philippine Sea. In a Commission on Appointments hearing earlier this year, Marcoleta reportedly suggested giving up the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG). He later sought to have that remark deleted from the CA minutes, claiming it was taken out of context.

Lacson also cited Marcoleta's February 2026 statements disputing the role of Tomas Cloma — the Filipino fishing magnate who claimed the Spratly Islands as "Freedomland" in 1956, later ceding the claim to the Philippine government. That cession became the legal basis for Presidential Decree 1596 in 1978, which established the Municipality of Kalayaan.

Marcoleta called Cloma "a seafarer, not a discoverer," and proposed removing his role from official records.

Lacson said Marcoleta's statements on the Spratlys and the KIG had been picked up and republished on China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

He closed with two questions:

"On the West Philippine Sea — which side of the South China Sea is Sen. Marcoleta on? On the anomalous graft-ridden flood control projects — is Sen. Marcoleta for the Discayas or the People of the Philippines?"

"I think we know the answers."

THE DISCAYA QUESTION

Curlee (Pacifico) and Sarah (Cezarah) Discaya are the contractor couple whose firms secured over P207 billion in flood control contracts. They testified before the Senate in September 2025 and implicated multiple lawmakers and officials in an alleged kickback scheme.

Lacson raised a specific undisclosed conflict during his speech: a family member of Marcoleta had served as an independent director of insurance companies that provided performance bonds for Discaya-linked contractor firms — a connection Marcoleta had not disclosed to committee members.

Lacson also questioned Marcoleta's persistent push to make the Discayas state witnesses, pointing out that the couple are primary subjects of the contracts under investigation.

THE FLOOR EXCHANGE

Marcoleta rose after the speech and accused Lacson of going ad hominem.

"It seemed like it turned into an ad hominem. If I respond to your accusations, the discussion will get sidetracked again," Marcoleta said.

Lacson: "Who started all this? Enough is enough."

Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri backed the decision to let Lacson respond early in the session. He noted that Marcoleta's Monday speech had singled out a fellow senator — who had every right to defend himself.

"That member of the Senate will stand and defend themselves. We have to give them priority," Zubiri said.

BACKGROUND

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee launched its flood control probe in August 2025 following Marcos's disclosure of widespread anomalies in the government's flood mitigation program.

The administration allocated P545.6 billion for flood control projects from July 2022 to May 2025. Fifteen out of more than 2,400 accredited contractors received roughly P100 billion — about 18 percent of the total.

As of November 2025, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure had referred 37 individuals to the Office of the Ombudsman, including lawmakers, officials, and contractors. Zaldy Co, former Ako Bicol party-list representative and House Appropriations Committee chair, left for abroad in August 2025 and has not returned.

Marcoleta chaired the Blue Ribbon Committee at the start of the probe. Lacson took over as chairman when he was elected Senate President Pro Tempore in September 2025.