Manila: Efforts are ongoing to gather more signatures for the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee report on the alleged flood control anomalies, with Senator Risa Hontiveros saying Monday that the findings must be made public amid strong interest in the investigation.

According to Philippines News Agency, Hontiveros emphasized in a radio interview the importance of transparency, stating, "Patuloy po naming ifa-follow up. para maiulat na po ito sa ating mga kababayan. kailangan at dapat nilang malaman ang buong katotohanan (We will continue to follow this up so it can be reported to our fellow Filipinos. they need and deserve to know the full truth)." She noted that six senators have signed the report so far, with three more signatures needed before it can be formally sponsored on the Senate plenary.

Hontiveros further explained, "Well kulang na lang, hindi na kulang na kulang kasi yung [original] naming apat na pumirma, nadagdagan na po ng dalawa. Anim na po kami, tatlo na lang ang kailangan para ma-sponsor na po ito sa floor (We are no longer far from the required number. From the original four signatories, two more have been added. We are now six, and we only need three more for it to be sponsored on the floor)."

Amid the delay, Senate President Pro Tempore and Blue Ribbon Committee chair Panfilo Lacson stated that he is preparing a chairman's progress report to advance the investigation despite the lack of signatures. Lacson mentioned that the report would include findings from the partial committee report and evidence gathered from at least eight hearings, which may support case buildup by the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman.

Lacson elaborated, "We have drafted a Chairman's Progress Report. I cannot report out the partial committee report on the Senate floor due to the lack of needed signatures." He added that issuing the chairman's progress report would permit the committee to resume hearings and make the findings part of public record, even before formal plenary action.

Furthermore, Lacson indicated that the panel might reinvite former House speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez for the next hearing, possibly for a confrontation with former lawmaker Elizaldy Co and former soldiers who allegedly delivered kickbacks tied to flood control projects. Hontiveros expressed that Co's potential return to the country could help complete the panel's findings, stating, "Ay, malaking piyesa ang maidadadag niya sa binubuong puzzle. sana ay ilahad na niya. ang buo, kumpleto at totoong nalalaman niya (He would be a significant piece in completing the puzzle. we hope he will disclose the full and truthful information he knows)."