Lawyer Marvin Aceron has pressed Senate Ethics Committee Chairman Senator JV Ejercito to issue a formal reply to his complaint concerning Senator Chiz Escudero’s reported association with Engineer Roberto Lubiano, owner of Centerways Construction and a contributor to Escudero’s Senate campaign. Centerways has secured ₱16.67 billion worth of government projects from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) during the current Senate term.
Aceron first filed the complaint with the office of Sen. Ejercito on October 2, 2025, then later submitted an Omnibus Motion to the Senate on October 20 as a follow-up. As of November 5, he had not received any formal communication from the Senate Ethics Committee. He stressed that this lack of response runs contrary to Section 5(a) of Republic Act 6713, which mandates public officials and employees to issue a reply to communications from the public within 15 working days of receipt.
Despite the pending complaint, Sen. Ejercito shared on his official Facebook page on November 5 that the Senate Ethics Committee is set to be officially constituted next week. He added that once formed, the body will address complaints against senators on a “first in, first out” basis.
Atty. Aceron said that he appreciated Sen. Ejercito’s public explanation, but it was insufficient. “My complaint was filed October 2 or 35 days ago. I have received no official acknowledgment, case number, or Senate correspondence of any kind,” he argued. “A Facebook post is not a substitute for official institutional communication,” Atty. Aceron underscored.
Together with hundreds of signatories to an Open Letter addressed to Sen. Ejercito, Atty. Aceron is requesting for the following before the Senate session resumes: 1) an official written acknowledgment of his Oct. 2 complaint; 2) case number assignment; 3) confirmation of the “first in, first out” processing order; and for the following when the Ethics Committee constitutes: 1) official publication of committee membership; 2) official timelines for complaint processing; and 3) official institutional correspondence moving forward.
Atty. Aceron challenged Sen. Ejercito to live up to his moniker as “The Good One.” The lawyer said, “Senator Ejercito, I take you at your word about integrity and due process. But integrity and due process require documentation, not social media posts.”
More than 200 Filipino citizens—led by Constitutional Commissioner Prof. Ed Garcia and National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario—have signed the open letter urging for Senate Ethics Committee accountability.
“Dapat talaga malaman kung sino ang tapat maglingkod sa bayan. Hindi ‘yung laway lang,” Almario said to explain why he signed the open letter.
Prof. Ed Garcia said, “High time that our public officials respond and not hide from the people. As we strive to overcome the flood waters of corruption, we must demand that our elected officials become transparent and accountable.”
To sign the open letter to Senator JV Ejercito, go to https://forms.gle/CZNhu5PQKq87kCkJ6.
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