Senator Erwin Tulfo expressed concern over the limited reach of the Senate’s investigative powers amid growing public frustration regarding the multibillion-peso flood control corruption scandal, as several lawmakers allegedly involved remain outside the country.
In a television interview on Friday, Tulfo explained the Senate has not yet issued subpoenas to any of the lawmakers linked to anomalous infrastructure projects due to the long-standing principle of inter-parliamentary courtesy.
“Sa totoo lang…hindi naman talaga pinapadalhan ang mga mambabatas kasi may tinatawag tayo na inter-parliamentary courtesy (As a matter of fact… you can’t issue subpoenas to lawmakers because we have what we call inter-parliamentary courtesy),” Tulfo said.
He further lamented, “Hindi pwede imbestigahan ng Senado ng Kongreso. Ang Kongreso hindi rin pwede imbestigahan ang Senador.”
This has raised questions about the credibility of the investigation, with the public casting doubt on whether genuine accountability will be achieved.
“Kaya nga ho ang mga kababayan natin, hindi po natin masisi kung nagdududa sa imbestigasyon na ito na parang baka drama lamang ang lahat ng ito,” said Tulfo.
Hence, Tulfo voiced strong support for the establishment of the Philippine Independent Commission as ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying it offers hope for an impartial and thorough probe.
“I'm really very eager and waiting na mabuo na po yung ginawa ni Pangulo na Philippine Independent Commission na mag-iimbestiga po sa lahat ng ito,” he said.
Tulfo noted that the commission has the power to issue subpoenas to the lawmakers that is not covered by the inter-parliamentary courtesy.
“That's what I heard. Congressman, senador, ipapatawag po lahat ng Philippine Independent Commission dahil yung commission po na yan is only answerable to the president po. Hindi po sa Senado, hindi rin po sa Kongreso. So, wala po mga tinatawag na courtesy-courtesy po na yan,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tulfo also addressed the possibility of inviting willing senators or congressmen to testify before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee during the flood control probe, although he deferred final decisions to the committee chairperson, Senator Rodante Marcoleta.
Tulfo called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to act swiftly and file charges against contractors and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials linked to ghost and substandard projects.
“Dapat sampahan na po talaga ng DOJ yung mga kontratista, yung mga (The DOJ should file a case against these contractors and these public works officials),” Tulfo emphasized.
The senator added that the list provided by President Marcos and Senator Panfilo Lacson contains enough evidence for the DOJ to begin filing cases, particularly against individuals who have already admitted wrongdoing during Senate hearings — including gambling in casinos and facilitating fake or poorly built projects.
Immigration lookout bulletin insufficient
Tulfo also lamented the DOJ’s issuance of Immigration Lookout Bulletins (ILBOs) as insufficient in preventing flight risks, pointing out the lack of legal teeth behind them.
“Lookout lang po. Wala pa naman pong kaso... Ang importante po ay 'yung Hold Departure Order or HDO (That’s a lookout only. There’s no case filed… What is important is the issuance of the HDO),” he said, explaining that without formal charges, individuals are still free to leave the country.
He further stressed that the power of an HDO would prevent personalities from leaving the country while the investigation is ongoing.
“E kasi po, hindi mo naman pwedeng i-hold yung tao dahil wala pa naman po kaso (Because you can’t hold a person without a case),” he said.