Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson disputed the claim that the Senate President Pro Tempore’s office was left “bare” when he vacated it in 2022, saying he turned over the room intact.
Lacson said he had no reason to remove anything from the office because government money had been used to refurbish it when it was turned over to him.
“I take exception to the statement pertaining to the state or condition of the same Pro Tempore office that I turned over to Sen. Estrada in 2022. Nothing was removed nor destroyed, precisely because government funds were used when I refurbished it when it was turned over to me,” Lacson said in a post on X.
He was reacting to a statement from the office of Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, who occupied the room after Lacson and said it was “bare” when it was turned over to him.
Lacson had earlier poked fun at the situation by posting an AI-generated image of current Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente “Tito” Sotto III sitting in an otherwise empty office with only a monobloc table, chair and kerosene lamp.
“Poor Senate President Pro Tempore Tito Sotto. Naka monobloc table and chair at lampara na lang. Mistulang ‘barebones’ ang bago niyang opisina. Binaklas kasi lahat ng dating occupant – from the floor tiles, walls and cabinets to the toilet fixtures and wall outlets – inubos,” he said.
Sotto was supposed to move into the office this week but reportedly found it stripped bare on Monday.
Estrada served as Senate President Pro Tempore from May 2024 to September 2025 under then-Senate President Francis Escudero. He is currently detained in Payatas, Quezon City over plunder charges linked to the flood control mess.IMT
