Senate panel to hold first hearing in March amid rising ethics raps — JV

The first hearing of the Senate Ethics Committee has been set for 4 March, chairperson JV Ejercito confirmed on Thursday, kicking off the review of a growing number of ethics complaints against members of the Senate after months of procedural delays.

Ejercito earlier attributed the delay to the pending completion of the panel’s membership. However, one month after its finalization in late January, no hearings had been conducted due to “room unavailability.”

Six ethics complaints are pending before the committee, including one filed against the chairperson himself over accusations of “grossly neglecting” a similar complaint filed against Senator Chiz Escudero involving a P35 million campaign donation from one of the top government contractors for flood control projects.

Ejercito has rejected allegations that he deliberately delayed the hearing. He said he even asked Senate President Tito Sotto “if we can use the Senators’ Lounge so we can hold the meeting earlier.”

“The committee rooms are always full. We’ve been waiting for [available room] for two weeks,” Ejercito told reporters in a Viber message.

“SP Sotto has authorized the Ethics Committee to use [the] Senate President’s Conference Room on March 4 at 10 a.m. to expedite the meeting as soon as possible,” he added.

Members of the panel will first hold an executive session to adopt rules before proceeding to the initial vetting of cases, according to Ejercito.

Ejercito’s statement came after the filing of the latest ethics complaint against Senator Bato de la Rosa, who has been absent from Senate sessions since November last year amid speculation about an impending warrant from the International Criminal Court.

The ICC recently named De la Rosa and his close ally, Senator Bong Go, among others, as co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently in pre-trial proceedings.

Petitioners urged the committee to examine possible violations related to De la Rosa’s prolonged absence and impose appropriate sanctions if warranted.

Aside from De la Rosa, Ejercito and Escudero, Senator Risa Hontiveros is also facing a similar complaint filed by Duterte supporters in late October.

Lawyers Ferdinand Topacio, Manuelito Luna and Jacinto Paras accused Hontiveros of “witness tampering” involving Senate witness Michael Maurillo, who later recanted his statements about alleged “abuses” within the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, founded by televangelist Apollo Quiboloy.

Meanwhile, the ethics complaint against Ejercito seeks, among other things, his removal as committee chair and his inhibition from future proceedings involving Escudero’s case.

Petitioner Marvin Aceron argued that Ejercito’s failure to act on the complaint against Escudero, despite it being filed as early as October last year, is sufficient ground for his removal.