MANILA – Members of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee are set to discuss the panel’s draft partial committee report on the flood control scandal on Wednesday, Senate President Pro Tempore and Blue Ribbon Panel Chairman Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said.

Lacson noted that many committee members prefer to review and understand the contents of the draft report before signing it, citing the complexity and sensitivity of the issues and personalities involved. “Maybe due to the complexity and sensitivity involving the issues and personalities mentioned in the draft committee report, many members prefer to discuss and understand the contents of the report before they affix their signatures. Others may want to include their inputs,” he said.

He emphasized that the committee is composed of 17 regular and three ex-officio members, and that the report requires at least 11 signatures to become an official committee report for plenary deliberation. “As the chairman, I am open to hear the suggestions/recommendations from the BRC members as long as everything is aligned with the practical realities, especially those already undergoing preliminary investigations by the Department of Justice and Ombudsman which the partial committee report merely restated as part of its recommendations,” Lacson added.

Without the required signatories, Lacson pointed out, “there can be no valid partial committee report to talk about.”

Under Section 1, Article 5 of the Blue Ribbon Committee rules, all committee reports must be “discussed, decided and approved by the Committee members” and signed by a majority of members before submission to the Senate. Dissenting members may signify their dissent in writing. Section 22 of the rules governing inquiries in aid of legislation similarly states that reports must be approved by a majority vote, and members may submit concurring or dissenting reports within 72 hours after approval.

“As I said earlier, this is in accordance with the Rules of Procedure Governing Inquiries in Aid of Legislation,” Lacson said of the upcoming discussion of the draft committee report.