Still confined at the hospital where he was being treated for an undisclosed illness, Senator JV Ejercito was able to attend virtually the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) “Letters of Authority” (LOAs) issue, last Thursday, December 11, 2025. At the said hearing, Senator Ejercito disclosed details of an alleged Letters of Authority and “bloated” tax assessments modus at the BIR, the complaints for which his office received only days before.
While Senator Ejercito’s virtual presence at the hearing—in spite of his hospital confinement—may have signified his commitment as a Senator of the Republic, it was also a reminder of his office’s inaction on an ethics complaint versus Senator Chiz Escudero that was filed over 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. The Chair of the Ethics Committee found time to attend a week-old investigation’s hearing in spite of his confinement,” said Atty. Marvin B. Aceron, the lead complainant. “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 submitted to the office of Sen. Ejercito a verified ethics complaint versus Sen. Escudero documenting ₱35 million missing from the financial statements of Centerways Construction owned by Sen. Escudero’s campaign donor Lawrence Lubiano, ₱30M in donations by Mr. Lubiano to Sen. Escudero’s 2022 senate campaign, and ₱16.67B in DPWH contracts obtained by Centerways during the current senate term. Atty. Aceron followed up the complaint with an omnibus motion and an open letter to Sen. Ejercito signed by 347 citizen-signatories including professionals, National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almairo, and 1987 Constitutional Commissioner Prof. Ed Garcia.
On November 6, Atty. Aceron received an official letter signed by Sen. Ejercito acknowledging receipt of the complaint, confirming three other pending ethics complaints before the Senate, and committing to a “first in, first out” (FIFO) processing when the committee reconvenes on the week of November 10-14. Sen. Ejercito wrote, “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.”
But as of December 16, the Senate Ethics Committee chaired by Sen. Ejercito has yet to issue a case number, prompting Atty. Aceron to file a motion on December 9, urging the Senate to adopt the barangay docketing system. “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),” said Atty. Aceron.
“We are not demanding judgment. We are not forcing a ruling,” he clarified. “But FIFO should not be the system when the Senate Committee on Ethics is handling allegations of corruption, conflicts of interest and violations of public trust,” the lawyer underscored.
“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. Doing so would be one of the best Christmas gifts to the Filipino people,” said Atty. Aceron.
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