MANILA— Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson disputed claims that the Senate President Pro Tempore’s office he vacated in 2022 was left “bare,” saying he turned it over intact to Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada.

Lacson said the office’s refurbishment had been funded by the government when it was turned over to him, which was why he did not remove or destroy its fixtures when he left.

“I take exception to the statement pertaining to the state or condition of the same Pro Tempore office that I turned over to Sen. Estrada in 2022. Nothing was removed nor destroyed, precisely because government funds were used when I refurbished it when it was turned over to me,” he said on X.

Lacson was responding to a statement from Estrada’s office that the Pro Tempore office was “bare” when it was turned over to him in 2022, citing what it described as a long-standing Senate practice.

The dispute followed reports that Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III found the office stripped of fixtures, tiles and other materials when he was scheduled to move into it this week.

Estrada, who served as Senate President Pro Tempore during the Senate presidency of Francis Escudero from May 2024 to September 2025, had earlier defended the removal of the office’s fixtures as “standard practice.”

Estrada said his office had informed Sotto’s office that the fixtures, furnishings and materials would be transferred to the senator’s new office.

He said the removed items, including floor tiles, glass panels, lighting fixtures and cabinets, were acquired using his personal funds because the Senate budget was insufficient to cover the expenses.

“It bears noting that standard practice in the Senate is for the senator occupying an office to renovate the space based on the budget provided, with any expense beyond that shouldered entirely by the occupant. Let it be stressed, in no uncertain terms, that not a single centavo of public funds was wasted,” Estrada said.

Estrada also said the Senate would not incur additional costs for office supplies and materials because most, if not all, of the items from his previous office would be reused in his new one.

“In fact, the Senate will bear no cost whatsoever for office supplies and materials, as most, if not all, of those used in the previous office will simply be re-used in the new one. If anything, this practice reflects prudence and efficiency, not controversy,” he added.

Estrada urged that the office transition not be turned into a political controversy.

Estrada is currently detained in Payatas, Quezon City over plunder charges related to the flood control mess.

Lacson, meanwhile, had posted an AI-generated image on X a day earlier showing Sotto seated in an otherwise bare office with only a monobloc table, chair and “lampara” or kerosene lamp.

“Poor Senate President Pro Tempore Tito Sotto. Naka monobloc table and chair at lampara na lang. Mistulang ‘barebones’ ang bago niyang opisina. Binaklas kasi lahat ng dating occupant – from the floor tiles, walls and cabinets to the toilet fixtures and wall outlets – inubos,” he said.

Sotto was set to occupy the office previously used by Estrada after Lacson became Senate President Pro Tempore but did not take over Estrada’s office.