Former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson will testify in the Senate Blue Ribbon committee's probe into flood control corruption, Senate President Panfilo Lacson announced. The April 14 hearing could occur much earlier. Singson visited Lacson's office on Monday to express his interest.
Senate President Panfilo Lacson announced that former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson will testify before the Blue Ribbon committee in its probe into alleged corruption in flood control projects. The hearing, tentatively set for April 14, could be held much earlier. Singson sent a letter expressing his desire to testify and visited Lacson's office on Monday, though he has not yet submitted a signed affidavit. '(Singson) sent a letter indicating he wanted to testify. I said yes, if you are testifying on flood control projects, we will schedule a hearing. Tentatively, we scheduled it for April 14. But if we can hold it much earlier, why not?' Lacson said. 'He’s a former governor. I leave it up to him to justify his presence. You’ll see the credibility or incredibility, whichever the case, of what he’s about to say,' he added. Lacson said he would consult colleagues on inviting the 18 men who claimed to have delivered P805 billion in cash kickbacks to President Marcos and others, if they agree to amend their testimonies for realism. He questioned the logistics of transporting such an amount. The group returned to the National Bureau of Investigation with lawyer Levito Baligod, submitting documents like employment contracts and screenshots. 'They agreed to be interviewed individually and to provide their own accounts,' Baligod said. 'For now, there are no individual affidavits.' Separately, former public works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo testified to receiving P130 million as a 'token of gratitude' from fugitive Zaldy Co, linked to anomalous flood control projects.
