MANILA, Philippines -- Senator Panfilo Lacson on Monday criticized his colleagues, Senators Juan Ponce-Enrile, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, and Joker Arroyo, for what he called their ill treatment of representatives of the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) at Friday's Senate hearing.

"I think Senators Enrile, Arroyo, and Santiago crossed the line of statesmanship in that committee on energy hearing last Friday," Lacson said in a text message.

"Resource persons invited by the Senate deserve the courtesy of guests appearing before any Senate committee hearing. Bullying, cutting, insulting or yelling at them won't help the Senate get the information we need to help us do our legislative work," he added.

Lacson, who has been at odds with the administration senators on various issues, also believes the JFC's experience at the Senate, broadcast live on cable television channel ANC may drive foreign investments away.

"Worse, driving them out of the country will put to waste the billions of dollars being spent by our government, both here and abroad, to attract foreign investments and make them stay and continue investing in our country," he said.

However, Senator Francis Escudero said he doesn't think the foreign investors will bring out their investments "even if they feel slighted."

Nevertheless, he said he would have taken a different tack from Enrile's at that hearing.

"I won't judge him but I would have handled it differently," Escudero said.

At Friday's hearing of the Senate energy committee, JFC representatives, principally its elected spokesman that day Hubert D'Aboville of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, got a dressing down.

D'Aboville was trying to read the JFC statement but was intermittently cut by Enrile, who wanted him to answer particular questions, such as why did the JFC go to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo asking her to stop any amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act.

Enrile also wanted to know who the legislators were that JFC claimed, in its letter to Arroyo, made "unwarranted accusations on bedrock principles recognized by sound industries around the world."