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Senator Erwin Tulfo, October 6, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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SENATE BUDGET HEARING- DMW

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175989035752520251006-senate-budget-hearing-dmw-MT2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Senator Erwin Tulfo, October 6, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</div>MANILA — Sen. Erwin Tulfo will serve as acting chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Wednesday.&quot;Automatic yun eh. Yun ang maganda roon eh. We don&#x27;t need to do that in plenary because Erwin is the vice chairman. So therefore, in the absence of the chairman, he automatically becomes chairman,&quot; Sotto said after emerging from a closed door caucus of majority lawmakers. Sotto said the panel would meet after Tulfo&#x27;s return from an overseas trip. <div>PROBE CONTINUES</div>The Senate chief added that the panel would resume its investigation into alleged flood control anomalies even if Tulfo was just acting chairman.&quot;Tuloy yun. The Blue Ribbon is always alive. That&#x27;s the only committee na may moto propio powers. Now, it doesn&#x27;t mean that because nasa break o nasa out of town, it doesn&#x27;t mean that the Senate is not working,” he said. Sotto pushed back the criticism of Senator Imee Marcos on why the investigation stopped.&quot;I think she&#x27;d better ask some of her colleagues. Some of her colleagues bakit naghi-hearing? Eh meron kong going ang ICI. Siguro sila-sila muna mag-usap. As far as we&#x27;re concerned, hindi naman kami tumigil,” Sotto said. “Kaya lang, meron lang mga ika nga&#x27;y budget hearings na kailangan gawin. We are nearing the deadline of what we need. So, hindi ganun kadali yun. Hindi naman mawawala yung mga hearings na yan at hindi rin mawawala yung submissions namin sa ICI (Independent Commission for Infrastructure),” he said. <div>OTHER POSSIBLE LACSON SUCCESSORS </div>Sotto earlier in the day said Tulfo was in the running to replace Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson as chairperson of the panel. &quot;Yes. Obviously because he (Tulfo) is vice chairman,&quot; Sotto said in a group chat with Senate reporters.Sotto previously said Senators <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/7/pangilinan-declines-senate-blue-ribbon-committee-chairmanship-2359">JV Ejercito, Raffy Tulfo, Kiko Pangilinan, Pia Cayetano, and Risa Hontiveros</a> were also being considered to replace Lacson. Sotto said none of the five potential successors wanted the post &quot;right now&quot;, but they were not being counted out of the running.“Ang sinasabi nila is very busy sila doon sa mga committees nila eh. Halos lahat, dalawa, tatlo committee. Hinahawakan nila na very very important committee, major committees. So what they are saying is that they don&#x27;t have time for it right now,&quot; he said. “‘Right now’...kaya hindi namin dini-discount na yung lima ay totally out of the question.&quot; Sotto added that some senators wanted Lacson to reconsider his resignation. &quot;Most of us, kung present lahat, they would like to appeal to Senator Lacson,” he said.He said Lacson was absent from the caucus as he was feeling unwell.Sotto said Lacson would remain with the panel as an ex-officio member.&quot;Baka nga blessing in disguise yan. Kasi pagka si Senator Lacson, hindi siya chairman. So hindi siya ang puntirya ng puri or pintas. And he will probably be a very good critic,&quot; Sotto said.Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano left the matter of selecting Lacson&#x27;s replacement to the majority. &quot;Kaming minority, hindi kami nakikilam sa majority. Ang gusto lang namin pagka may hearing, may session. Para kung hindi kami sang-ayon sa nangyayari sa hearing, meron sesyon kung saan magde-decide kung ano nangyayari,” he said. But he also indicated the minority would not refuse if the panel was offered to them. “Possible ang minority but I don&#x27;t want to be presumptuous…If they offer it to the minority, mag-usap kami,” he said.Lacson stepped down as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee following criticism from some of his colleagues that the panel’s flood control probe had “lost focus”.<div><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/7/lacson-says-resignation-as-senate-blue-ribbon-chair-is-final-1722">Lacson says resignation as Senate blue ribbon chair is ‘final’</a></div>In his resignation letter, Lacson denied allegations that he was protecting members of the House of Representatives in the Senate Blue Ribbon’s flood control probe.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/6/lacson-s-blue-ribbon-exit-a-sign-of-unstable-senate-says-drilon-1103">Lacson&#x27;s Blue Ribbon exit a sign of &#x27;unstable&#x27; Senate, says Drilon</a></div>

Sen. Erwin Tulfo has agreed to serve as acting chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Wednesday.

Sen. Erwin Tulfo has agreed to serve as acting chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Wednesday.

Erwin Tulfo designated Blue Ribbon acting chairman: Sotto

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Erwin Tulfo designated Blue Ribbon acting chairman: Sotto

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 08, 2025 10:29 AM PHT

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Updated Oct 08, 2025 03:02 PM PHT

Read More:

corruption

flood control

baha

Senate

Senate Blue Ribbon

Erwin Tulfo

Lacson

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