MANILA — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Monday said Congress is the “original sin” behind the widespread corruption in flood control projects, stressing that the ongoing Senate investigation must reach the root cause of the anomalies.

In an interview on True FM, Lacson, who chairs the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said lawmakers’ budget insertions enabled corrupt practices in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), particularly in district engineering offices.

“Congress is the original sin here. If congressmen and senators did not insert funds, there would be no funds for corrupt DPWH officials to play with,” Lacson said in Filipino. “It has come to a point where corruption became systemic, where even junior functionaries invent their own money-making schemes.”

Lacson is set to lead the next Blue Ribbon hearing on Tuesday, September 23, at 9 a.m., and has asked Senate President Vicente Sotto III to move the regular session to 4 p.m. to accommodate the proceedings.

The committee has summoned dismissed DPWH engineers Henry Alcantara and Brice Hernandez, Syms Construction owner Sally Santos, and contractors Pacifico and Cezarah Discaya II. Alcantara and Pacifico Discaya were cited in contempt for refusing to cooperate, while Hernandez and Santos showed willingness to assist.

Lacson said the panel will review the documents Hernandez retrieved under tight security to support his claims. Hernandez had earlier linked Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada to budget insertions and alleged kickbacks, which both lawmakers denied.

Former DPWH Undersecretary for Operations Roberto Bernardo has also been invited to the hearing. Lacson noted Bernardo appointed Alcantara to DPWH Bulacan while he was on secondment to the Manila city government under then-mayor Joseph Estrada.

The senator assured that any evidence that may aid the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) will be shared with the body. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. created the ICI to pursue corruption cases related to infrastructure projects.

Lacson also renewed his call for Congress to exercise self-restraint in inserting funds for infrastructure projects. “I hope House Speaker Faustino Dy III and Senate President Tito Sotto can agree with the chairmen of the House appropriations and Senate finance committees to bar insertions, especially for DPWH. Because it all starts there, and some lawmakers got greedier and greedier,” he said.