Several celebrities have voiced frustration after the Senate decided to suspend its Blue Ribbon Committee hearings on the alleged anomalies in the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) flood control projects — an issue that has dominated public discussion for months.
Kapuso stars Carla Abellana and Kylie Padilla, as well as Kapamilya actress Barbie Imperial, were among those who reacted to the news by sharing posts on their Instagram Stories.
The actresses reposted an update from PesoWeekly bearing the headline: “SENATE HALTS FLOOD CONTROL PROBE — PENDING ‘DISCUSSIONS,’” featuring Senate President Tito Sotto III’s photo.
Carla, known online as the ‘Patron Saint of Call-Out,’ expressed her frustration with the government’s recurring cycle of delayed investigations and fading accountability.
“Ayan na. October na. More than 1 month na ‘yung issue. Swept under the rug na para next issue na. Here we go. Never ending cycle. Next issue pasok na,” Carla wrote.
Kylie Padilla, daughter of Senator Robin Padilla, also reshared the post — adding angry emojis filled with expletives to express her disappointment.
Meanwhile, Barbie Imperial shared the same headline card with a short caption that read, “Whut… ,” reflecting disbelief and dismay.
The Senate’s decision to halt the probe came after Blue Ribbon Committee chair Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson announced on Saturday, October 4, that the hearing originally set for October 8 had been canceled due to scheduling conflicts and the unavailability of key documents.
Lacson explained that he wanted to “maximize discussions” and had reached out to the Department of Justice and the Manila Regional Trial Court to check on the progress of relevant affidavits and investigations. However, both were not ready, and the session would have conflicted with budget and appointments hearings.
The Senate’s suspension follows a similar move by the House of Representatives’ infrastructure committee, which earlier paused its own investigation to give way to the newly created Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) — a body formed by the Marcos administration to lead a fact-finding probe into flood control and other infrastructure projects.
The Senate hearings had previously drawn national attention after several former and incumbent officials were implicated in alleged kickback schemes, including names such as Zaldy Co, Bong Revilla, Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, Nancy Binay, and Chiz Escudero, among others.
