MANILA, Philippines – Senator Pia Cayetano is the new chair of the powerful blue ribbon committee following the Senate coup that installed Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president.

This was announced during the Senate plenary session on Wednesday, May 20.

Cayetano replaced Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson who lost the blue ribbon panel chairmanship following the May 11 Senate coup that unseated then-Senate president Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.

The Senate blue ribbon committee has been investigating corruption in flood control projects. When Lacson headed the panel, he had to resign as committee chair in October 2025 after a few senators from different blocs criticized how he was handling the investigation.

Lacson eventually returned as panel chair on November 11, 2025, but struggled to gather enough signatures to formally file and sponsor the committee’s partial report in plenary. This prompted him to share the panel’s partial report findings and recommendations in a privilege speech earlier in May.

Flood control corruption: Senate blue ribbon panel’s partial findings, recommendations

Several members of the majority bloc — senators Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, Chiz Escudero, Mark Villar, and Bong Go — have been implicated in the flood control controversy. – Rappler.com