SEN. JV Ejercito on Friday said the ethics complaint filed against him is unfounded, noting that the Senate ethics process must follow established rules.
The complaint was filed by lawyer Eldridge Aceron, who accused Ejercito — chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges — of failing to act on an earlier ethics complaint against former Senate president Francis Escudero.
“We can’t just prioritize Aceron’s case against Senator Escudero. We are a government of laws, not of men,” Ejercito said.
Ejercito added that the complaint against Escudero has yet to be read in plenary due to the Senate’s tight schedule, the budget season, and the recent session break. The ethics committee, he said, is not yet fully constituted, as its members must be elected in a plenary session, and the minority bloc has not yet submitted its nominees.
“We will convene the ethics committee once it is fully constituted when the session resumes,” Ejercito said, adding that he expects the committee’s membership to be completed when Congress returns to session on Jan. 26.
The senator said he is prepared to inhibit himself from proceedings on the complaint against him, with the committee vice chairman presiding, to ensure fairness.
Aceron accused Ejercito of gross neglect of his constitutional duties for the committee’s alleged inaction on the complaint against Escudero, which was filed on Oct. 2, 2025.
In his 18-page complaint, Aceron said the Escudero case — signed by 347 citizens, including a former member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission and a National Artist — has not been assigned a case number, acknowledged, or acted upon more than 100 days after its filing.
“After 109 days of complete inaction, it constitutes willful gross neglect of constitutional duty, a deliberate refusal to perform a mandatory duty,” the complaint read.
Aceron rejected claims that the delay was due to a lack of capacity, arguing instead that the committee lacked the will to act.
He is seeking Ejercito’s censure, his removal as chairman of the Senate ethics committee, and his mandatory inhibition from any participation in the Escudero case. He also called for reforms, including mandatory docketing of complaints within five working days, the creation of a public registry of ethics complaints, and year-round processing of such cases.
“This complaint does not ask the Senate to move mountains. It asks the Senate to do what barangays do in five minutes: assign a case number,” Aceron said.
