Gatchalian: Defensor liable for bogus ‘hearing’

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MANILA, Philippines — Acting Senate President Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian said that former Rep. Mike Defensor could be legally liable for misleading the public by announcing and presiding over an unauthorized and bogus Senate blue ribbon committee “hearing” on Tuesday.

“He’s definitely creating confusion because of his post announcing that there is a blue ribbon hearing. People might think it’s official,” Gatchalian told reporters. “He’s not the chairman [of the committee]. He’s not a member. He’s not a senator, so why is he deceiving the public?”

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He said that he had spoken with Sen. Erwin Tulfo, the chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee, on what legal action to take against Defensor.

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READ: Tulfo slams false info on blue ribbon meet

Defensor was “misleading the people and he’s using the title of the Senate,” Gatchalian said. “That is not right.”

Event dubbed a ‘hearing’

Tulfo replaced Sen. Pia Cayetano after he was elected chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee on June 3 by a majority of 12 senators, who also chose Gatchalian as Senate President Pro Tempore and acting Senate President.

READ: Zaldy Co ‘ex-bagmen’ gather at venue for supposed blue ribbon hearing

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Defensor on Monday announced that a “hearing” by the blue ribbon panel would be held on Tuesday at Doublegem Edsa Garden Events Place in Mandaluyong City.

In an online notice on Tuesday, however, the Doublegem management said that the hearing was canceled. It pointed out that it had “no affiliation whatsoever with the organizers, participants, or subject matter of the event.”

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No senators

No senator showed up, but Defensor and lawyer Levito Baligod proceeded to the venue anyway. They led the 18 men who had earlier claimed that they delivered dozens of suitcases allegedly filled with cash to some politicians, including President Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez, from fugitive former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co—their former employer.

Four other bagmen joined the Defensor-Baligod group. Two of them said that they brought money in four suitcases of various sizes to Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s home at New Manila in Quezon City. One said they shared a meal featuring a shrimp dish with one of the senator’s house helpers.

There was no immediate comment from Escudero.

Ahead of Wednesday’s special session called by the President, Gatchalian said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police had recommended that the Senate should continue to implement its heightened security measures.

Security threat

He said that there was a security threat to the Senate involving an armed group and that this could be related to destabilization efforts. He declined to say who may be behind these “destabilization-related” moves.

“The information remains under validation by our security agencies,” he said.

Gatchalian said the Senate sought intelligence information and would assess the security situation regularly.

“We’ll take it week by week,” he said, adding that the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms chief Alfred Corpus spoke with officials of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and National Bureau of Investigation last week.

Gatchalian also said there were now comprehensive arrangements for the security of the Senate premises for the special session.

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In an advisory, he said the PNP would conduct a comprehensive security survey and inspection of the Senate premises due to “persistent information and intelligence reports” about the threat. /cb