Tulfo, Sotto deny 18 ex-Marines’ claims

SENATORS Erwin T. Tulfo and Vicente C. Sotto III on Thursday denied the allegations made by a group of 18 former soldiers that the lawmakers received luggage of cash kickbacks from anomalous flood control projects.

In a press statement, Mr. Tulfo, who has been appointed as the new Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) chair during the June 3 session, belied the claims made by the former soldiers during the hearing conducted by the Cayetano-led bloc on June 4, flagging irregularities in their claims.

“Bernard Gumban’s allegations are a big lie; he is one of the 18 self-proclaimed ex-Marines making statements during the bogus Blue Ribbon Committee hearing. With so many lies, he himself is clearly confused,” Mr. Tulfo said in Filipino.

Meanwhile, Mr. Sotto also debunked the claims made by the resource persons that his staff received cash on his behalf from the marines.

“I will not dignify such, because I was not a senator from 2022 to 2025. The name they mentioned, claiming my EA (executive assistant) accepted something, is Mark. Mark died in 2015,” he said in a forwarded Viber message.

Despite the accusations made by the alleged bagmen, Mr. Tulfo said they will still be invited for the BRC hearing scheduled for June 8 to be led by the new panel chairperson. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel