FACT CHECK: Lacson still a senator, not expelled

Claim: Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has been removed from his position in the Senate.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video containing the claim has 7,400 views, 591 likes, and 65 comments as of this posting. It was uploaded on a YouTube channel claiming to be a news outlet, which has 169,000 subscribers.

The title in the video states: “Heto na! Nakarma na! Ping Lacson wala ng takas! Tanggal na pinatalsik na sa pwesto? Lagot, pirmado na! (Here it is! Instant karma! Ping Lacson has no escape! Removed and kicked out of his position? You’re in trouble, it’s already signed!)

The video surfaced after 18 men identifying themselves as former Philippine Marines appeared at a press conference on February 24, 2026, where they alleged that suitcases of cash from anomalous flood control project kickbacks had been delivered to several political figures.

The facts: Lacson is still serving in the Senate and currently chairs the Senate blue ribbon committee, which investigates corruption and anomalous government projects. He was reelected as committee chairman on November 11, 2025, and under his leadership, the panel is expected to resume its probe into flood control corruption.

According to the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, senators serve fixed six-year terms and cannot be arbitrarily removed from office.

There are only two ways a senator can lose their seat. First, the Senate itself can suspend or expel a member, but this requires a two-thirds vote of all senators, and suspensions cannot exceed 60 days, as provided under Article VI, Section 16. Second, a senator can vacate the seat through resignation, death, or legal disqualification. In the case of a vacancy, a special election may be held to fill the position, according to Article VI, Section 9.

Disputes regarding a senator’s qualifications or election results are handled exclusively by the Senate Electoral Tribunal, which serves as the sole judge of all such matters. As of this posting, there is no record of any expulsion vote, resignation, death, disqualification, or tribunal ruling removing Lacson from office.

Flagged for credibility: Lacson has refused to hold a blue ribbon committee hearing into allegations by 18 supposed former marines claiming they delivered P805 billion in flood control kickbacks to politicians, including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and fugitive former lawmaker Zaldy Co.

He criticized the timing of the exposé, which coincided with hearings on charges against former president Rodrigo Duterte and the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, calling the claims an attempt to manipulate the narrative rather than present verifiable truth.

Draft report controversy: On March 3, 2026, lawyers Eldrige Marvin Aceron, Sikini Labastilla, and Purificacion Bartolome-Bernabe filed a 26-page petition with the Supreme Court asking it to compel the Senate blue ribbon committee to release its draft report on alleged anomalies in government flood control projects.

The draft, described by the lawyers as “the clean report before politics set in,” reportedly recommended filing criminal and administrative charges against senators Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, and Chiz Escudero, former senator Bong Revilla, and former representatives Zaldy Co and Mitch Cajayon-Uy, based on testimonies that linked them to alleged overpricing, duplication, or questionable implementation of flood control projects and their alleged ties to favored contractors.

Lacson, as committee chair, has overseen the investigation and maintained that the draft report remains confidential until formally adopted by the full Senate, citing legal advice that ministerial matters are not subject to mandamus or certiorari.

The petition also seeks the preservation of all draft versions, including the originally signed copy, and written explanations from senators Juan Miguel Zubiri, JV Ejercito, and Sherwin Gatchalian, who later withdrew their signatures. – Marjuice Destinado/Rappler.com

Marjuice Destinado is a senior political science student at Cebu Normal University (CNU) and an alumna of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2025.

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