BY JP LOPEZ

OPPOSITION Senators Panfilo Lacson and Ma. Ana Consuelo Madrigal yesterday chided Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, chair of the Blue Ribbon committee, for his reluctance to investigate the Southrail project which they said was much more overpriced that the scrapped national broadband network deal.

Lacson said $70 million has already been released as "commission." Given the $992 million estimated cost of the project, which involves the rehabilitation the Manila-Bicol railway, the total commission could top $200 million.

"That’s just for Phase 1-A. Hihintayin ba nating maglalabasan ang commission bago tayo kumilos? ‘Di nawalan na tayo. Mas mainam nariyan pa lang alam na natin na may $70 million na lumabas dito na commission. Arrested agad natin ang possibility na maibigay ang additional commission," Lacson said.

Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr., the Senate witness on the NBN-ZTE deal, alleged that an Antonio Huang and a Mallari brokered the Southrail deal.

Madrigal said Cayetano’s claim there is only one witness in the Southrail deal is no excuse for the committee not to start the inquiry.

"It is not the number of witnesses that makes a Senate investigation credible. It is the quality of witnesses’ testimony," Madrigal said.

Lacson said the Blue Ribbon can create a sub-committee to handle the Southrail investigation if Cayetano feels the main committee is already overburdened by the NBN-ZTE probe.