The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee cannot be forced to release its unfinished report on alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
The SC en banc dismissed the petition seeking the full and unredacted draft report, saying there is no law requiring the committee to release a report that has not yet been finalized and approved.
The Court explained that the draft is only a working document and does not yet form part of the official Senate record. It becomes an official record only after it is completed, approved by the committee and submitted to the Senate plenary.
Because of this, the SC said there was no legal basis to use a writ of mandamus to compel the committee to release the draft.
The Court also rejected the argument that keeping the report from the public violated the constitutional right to information.
The SC said the right to information has limits, including the deliberative process privilege, which protects internal government discussions while officials are still studying and deciding on an issue.
The petition was filed by lawyers Eldrige Marvin B. Aceron, Sikini C. Labastilla and Purificacion Bartolome-Bernabe after parts of the draft were leaked to the media in February.
The leaked report reportedly recommended criminal and administrative charges, including plunder, against several senators and other government officials over alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
The SC also cited the separation of powers, saying courts generally should not interfere with the Senate’s internal procedures as long as these are carried out within constitutional limits.
The petitioners had sought the release of the draft after the Blue Ribbon Committee denied their request, citing deliberative process privilege.
They argued that the privilege should no longer apply after then-committee chairman Sen. Panfilo Lacson publicly discussed parts of the draft.IMT
