Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday said the Senate legal team is studying what charges can be filed against former Rep. Mike Defensor for announcing that a Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) hearing will be held in an events venue in Mandaluyong City yesterday.
He said he has talked with Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Sen. Erwin Tulfo and tapped their legal team to study what were the violations of Defensor for pretending to be a part of the BRC.
“Well, definitely. Niloloko niya yung tao. Definitely, gumagawa siya ng confusion dahil doon sa post niya, Blue Ribbon hearing, hindi naman siya ang chairman, hindi naman siya member, hindi naman siya senador. Bakit niya nililinlang ang tao?
(Well, definitely because he is fooling the people. He is definitely creating confusion because of his social media post, Blue Ribbon Committee [hearing] when he is not even its chairman, he is not a member, nor is he a senator. Why is he deceiving the people?” he said in an interview in the Senate.
He said Defensor deliberately deceived the people by making it appear that the supposed BRC hearing to be held at Doublegem EDSA Events Place in Mandaluyong City was a legitimate Senate hearing.
Gatchalian said he has also not been able to talk to Senators Pia Cayetano and Rodante Marcoleta regarding the purported hearing as he was preoccupied with ensuring the safety and security in the Senate after they received an intelligence report of the security threat in the upper chamber.
The office of Marcoleta said it has not issued an advisory whether the said hearing/press conference will push through.
Defensor, in a Facebook post on Monday, announced that the “BRC hearing” will push through on Tuesday, but the event’s place management cancelled the supposed hearing. However, it still commenced later in the day.
Sen. Imee Marcos was earlier seen in the venue but was not able to enter as it was closed.
In a chance interview, Marcos said they are looking for other ways to bring out the truth on the flood control projects mess.
In a statement, Marcos said the whole government is applying its full force so that the truth about the flood control projects mess will not come out.
She called on the people to be vigilant and speak out against the suppression of truth.
“Kahit anong gawin nilang tambling, circus, at pagtatakip sa malalansa nilang gawin. Sumisingaw ang kanila baho — baho na mula sa baha ng kanilang hindi mapatid na uhaw sa kaban ng bayan at kapangyarihan
(No matter what they do to cover up their insatiable appetite for money and power, it still reeks of foul odor coming from their greed),” she added.