The Partido Demokratiko Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban) on Sunday called on the Senate leadership to appoint a chairperson for its ethics committee, a post the party says remains vacant.

Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, PDP Laban’s spokesperson for impeachment matters, said in a statement that the position has been open since the latest caucus of the 20th Congress.

“We respectfully request the current Senate leadership to fill up the said position at its earliest convenience,” Topacio said.

While acknowledging that the Senate has “more pressing and important concerns,” Topacio stressed the need for a mechanism to “preserve the dignity, integrity and reputation of the Senate.”

Topacio cited “certain conduct on the part of some members” that he believes “reflect very poorly on the discharge of their bounden duty to protect and defend the Constitution.”

He added that once the committee is organized, PDP Laban, “as citizens, will be bringing to its attention what to us are grave ethical lapses by certain senators.”

However, he did not specify which senators or what conduct he was referring to.