MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito will hold an executive session with members of the ethics committee, which he leads, next week to conduct "initial vetting" of the complaints filed against their colleagues.
In a text message on Thursday, Ejercito said the committee was expected to adopt the rules governing the conduct of the inquiry. "And we will proceed to initial vetting of cases," he said.
Senators Francis Escudero, Risa Hontiveros, Ronald Dela Rosa, and Ejercito himself face ethics complaints on various grounds.
Ejercito declined to reveal the two other senators facing complaints before the panel. "Sorry, I can't disclose. [It would be] unfair for those frivolous cases," he said in reply to The Manila Times' query.
"[I] Will only disclose those cases that have sufficient grounds," the senator added.
Ejercito said Senate President Vicente Sotto III has allowed the committee to use his conference room on March 4 at 10 a.m. "to expedite the meeting as soon as possible."
He said the committee was unable to immediately hold the closed door meeting as all rooms had been reserved for impending public hearings.
The panel is composed of Sen. Francis Pangilinan (vice chairman) and members Senators Erwin Tulfo, Christopher Go, Rodante Marcoleta and Imee Marcos, and Hontiveros.
A civil society group, led by former Finance undersecretary Cielo Magno, filed a complaint against Dela Rosa for his continued absence from official duties for more than three months.
Ejercito was facing an ethics complaint for his alleged failure to act immediately on the case filed against Escudero who had been accused of accepting campaign fund from a contractor.
Hontiveros has been accused of "witness tampering" in relation to her investigation on the alleged sexual and labor abuses of some members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ by its founder Apollo Quiboloy.
