Blue Ribbon panel hearing moved to June 8—Erwin Tulfo
The Senate hearing on alleged anomalous flood control projects has been rescheduled to June 8, said new Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chair Erwin Tulfo on Wednesday.
"We are just moving the scheduled date from tomorrow to prepare all members," he told the media. "I declare that all members of the Senate, be in the majority and the new minority now, they are all members of the Blue Ribbon para walang masabi na ika nga may hocus pocus," he added.
He added that they will have to review all the initially invited resource persons in the Blue Ribbon Committee.
"May sasabihin ba talaga? Mayroon ba talaga idi-disclose? We have to review this...the proper way to invite resource persons, you do not give it out to the media. You give it to the members first. Ang nangyari po kanina 'yung listahan na sinasabi nilang invited sa Blue Ribbon, hindi dumaan sa tamang process," Tulfo added.
However, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said that the hearing will push through on Thursday.
"Tomorrow tuloy ang hearing ng Blue Ribbon Committee. I am still the legitimate, legal, moral Senate President of the Republic of the Philippines," Cayetano said in a Facebook video on Wednesday.
"There is still functioning committees. We have to hear the testimonies, invited po, pati po yung mga gumawa ng illegal ngayon. You can try to stop us, but you will be stopping the Filipino people," he continued.
In a memorandum, Cayetano said that "all Senate officials and personnel assigned to support Committee activities are directed to render their full cooperation and assistance in connection with the said hearing."
He also ordered Sergeant-at-Arms Manuel G. Parlade to oversee security and maintain order throughout the Senate hearing.
The hearing was originally set for Thursday, June 4, under the previous leadership of Senator Pia Cayetano. The vice chairpersons were Senators Rodante Marcoleta and Jinggoy Estrada, who is currently detained at the Quezon City Jail in Payatas over plunder charges linked to alleged anomalous flood control projects.
The new development came after the Senate decided to elect Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as the new Senate president pro tempore.
Gatchalian presided over the session on the third day of the absence of Cayetano's bloc from the plenary. Cayetano remained noticeably absent, while Senator Francis Escudero from the majority suddenly joined the 11 minority members on the floor, allowing the session to proceed.
Tulfo explained that they did not elect a Senate president as they did not reach 13 members.
"Because it’s 13 (senators). It’s in the law 13. Kailangan mo 13. We don’t have 13. But then we can elect the Pro Tempore because it doesn’t say 13," he said.
"Senator Cayetano is still the Senate president… We cannot touch the Senate presidency because we don’t have 13. ‘Yung sinasabi po nila Marcoleta, hindi na sila majority. They only have 10," he added.
The senators have also decided on new committee chairmanships, less than a month after the previous majority took over.
