‘Lots of losers:’ Lacson asked for a red label investigation as a ‘witch hunt’

Senator Panfilo Lacson. FILE PHOTO / Albert Calvelo of the PRIB Senate

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Panfilo Lacson did not mince words when he struck the Makabayan bloc after one of its members branded the Senate investigation into red-labeling a “witch hunt.”

“Just because they can’t have it themselves, the Makabayan bloc is now accusing the Senate of being a ‘witch-hunting venue’ in our red-labeling investigation,” said Lacson, who led the investigation as chair of the defense panel of Senate, on Twitter on Wednesday.

Just because they can’t have it themselves, the Makabayan bloc now accuses the Senate of being a “witch-hunting place” in our red-labeling investigation. Looking for a scapegoat is normal for people who feel like a lot of losers.

– PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) December 1, 2020

“Looking for a scapegoat is normal for people who feel like a lot of losers,” he added.

It was Bayan Muna’s representative, Carlos Zárate, who called the investigation “being reduced to a place for witch hunts” in a letter he sent to Lacson to inform the senator of his absence at Tuesday’s hearing.

While Zárate thanked the committee for giving him and his fellow Makabayan lawmakers the opportunity to speak during an earlier hearing, he said the investigation is allegedly being used by the government’s anti-insurgency task force to “further vilify us with radical accusations and unsubstantiated, malicious statements and innuendo.

But Lacson, in a separate statement, maintained that the investigation, which was conducted through a total of three hearings, had been fair.

He said that both parties had had the same opportunity to air their contributions and concerns.

Inputs collected during the hearings will lead to legislation that seeks to address the issue, according to the senator.

JPV

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