MANILA — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said an internal cleansing of the Blue Ribbon Committee will be one of his priorities as its new chairman, following allegations linking a committee staffer to a supposed bribe.

“In the House committee hearing today (Tuesday), a Blue Ribbon staff member identified by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada as Beng Ramos was linked to a supposed delivery of obligation aka ‘lagay’ by WJ Construction that was awarded a project by then Bulacan 1st DEO Henry Alcantara,” Lacson said in a post on X.

He added: “Since I am not sure if there is only one Beng Ramos in the Blue Ribbon Committee which I was just elected by my peers to chair, just like (Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary) Vince Dizon, maybe I also need to do a simultaneous internal cleansing while buckling down to work.”

Lacson emphasized that the internal cleansing is crucial as the panel investigates government misconduct and ensures accountability. He previously conducted a similar purge of the Philippine National Police from 1999 to 2001, which removed corrupt personnel and improved public trust.

The allegations stem from a House inquiry in which former Bulacan assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez claimed Estrada received a 30-percent kickback from P355 million worth of allocations. Hernandez presented photos of Estrada with ex-Bulacan engineering district head Henry Alcantara and screenshots involving a staff member identified as Beng Ramos.

Estrada denied the claims, saying he has had no staff member named Beng Ramos since 2004, adding that Ramos was a Blue Ribbon Committee staffer and a former girlfriend of one of his staff.