Manila: Former Senate president Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday said the recent leadership change in the Senate may have been tied to the chamber's ongoing Blue Ribbon Committee investigation into alleged flood control anomalies.

According to Philippines News Agency, Sotto rejected claims that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, chaired by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, had been covering up irregularities in the probe. Instead, Sotto suggested that the leadership change might have been an effort to remove Lacson from his position as the investigation began implicating influential figures.

Sotto remarked in a radio interview that what he heard from some colleagues was contrary to the cover-up claims. They believed the investigation was delving too deeply, affecting some members. His statement came after Sen. Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the Blue Ribbon probe, supporting the leadership shift that led to Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano becoming Senate president.

Sotto defended Lacson, denying accusations that the committee was protecting those linked to the controversy. He emphasized that the investigation had already implicated powerful personalities, questioning who would be shielded by the committee.

Referring to former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Sotto pointed out that the committee had released a partial progress report and had not suppressed findings. He stated that dissatisfaction with the investigation might have aimed at removing Lacson from the committee, suggesting that removing him as Senate President was the only way to achieve this.

Sotto concluded that this scenario would be 'more truthful' than the allegations of the Blue Ribbon Committee suppressing findings in the flood control investigation.