Team DailyPedia
Despite being confined in a hospital for an undisclosed illness, Senator JV Ejercito was able to attend virtually the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) “Letters of Authority” (LOAs) issue on Thursday, December 11, 2025.
During the hearing, Ejercito disclosed information about an alleged BIR modus involving questionable LOAs and allegedly “bloated” tax assessments, complaints about which his office had received only days earlier.
While Ejercito’s virtual appearance underscored his commitment to Senate investigations, it also drew renewed criticism over the continued inaction of the Senate Committee on Ethics—chaired by Ejercito—on an ethics complaint filed against former Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero more than 70 days ago.
“The ethics complaint against then Senate President Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero filed in October 2025 with 347 citizen-signatories remains without a case number under Senator JV’s watch,” said Atty. Marvin B. Aceron, the lead complainant. “The Chair of the Ethics Committee found time to attend a week-old investigation’s hearing in spite of his confinement. We simply ask: when will he convene his own committee to act on a complaint now entering its third month?”
On October 2, Atty. Aceron formally submitted a verified ethics complaint to Ejercito’s office, alleging financial irregularities involving Centerways Construction, a company owned by Escudero’s campaign donor Lawrence Lubiano. The complaint cited ₱35 million allegedly missing from Centerways’ financial statements, ₱30 million in donations made by Lubiano to Escudero’s 2022 Senate campaign, and ₱16.67 billion worth of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) contracts awarded to the firm during Escudero’s current Senate term.
The complaint was later supported by an omnibus motion and an open letter signed by 347 citizens, including professionals, National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario, and 1987 Constitutional Commission member Prof. Ed Garcia.
In a letter dated November 6, Ejercito acknowledged receipt of the complaint and confirmed that three other ethics complaints were also pending before the committee. He stated that the Ethics Committee would process cases on a “first in, first out” (FIFO) basis once it reconvened during the week of November 10 to 14.
“The Committee intends to deliberate on the four pending complaints filed against individual senators in the order they were received, following a ‘first in, first out’ approach. As the Chairperson, I am committed to carrying out our mandate with integrity, impartiality and full respect for due process,” Ejercito wrote.
However, as of December 16, no case number has been issued for the Escudero complaint. This prompted Aceron to file a motion on December 9 urging the Senate to adopt a barangay-style docketing system for ethics cases.
“We ask the Senate to 1) assign a case number immediately upon filing, 2) enter it into a public docket, 3) acknowledge receipt in writing, and 4) provide a timeline for action—15 days for preliminary review,” Aceron said.
He clarified that the complainants are not demanding an immediate ruling, but stressed that FIFO should not be applied rigidly in cases involving allegations of corruption, conflicts of interest, and violations of public trust.
“We know the Chairman has been hospitalized. We wish him a swift recovery. But when he is ready—and when the Committee is able—we ask: assign a case number, acknowledge the complaint and let the process function,” Aceron added. “Doing so would be one of the best Christmas gifts to the Filipino people.”
As of this writing, the Senate Committee on Ethics has yet to publicly act on the complaint.
