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Reresentative Zia Alonto Adiong attends the House Committee on Disaster Resilience on September 15, 2022 for its organizational meeting. Press and Public Affairs Bureau handout

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CONGRESS-DISASTER

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178157479024320220915-congress-disaster-PPAB--12.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Zia Alonto Adiong attends the House Committee on Disaster Resilience on September 15, 2022 for its organizational meeting. <em>Press and Public Affairs Bureau handout/File</em></span></span></span>MANILA — The supposed Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the flood control scandal led by the bloc of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano is meant to &quot;divert&quot; the public attention away from the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Lanao del Sur First District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said Tuesday.</div><p>Former lawmaker Mike Defensor, who assists the alleged 18 ex-bodyguards and staff of former House member Zaldy Co who claimed to have delivered suitcases of kickback money, called for public support for a &quot;Blue Ribbon Committee hearing&quot; along EDSA on Tuesday.</p><p>Defensor said the group, with 14 new supposed witnesses, as well as senators allied with Cayetano, would be present. </p><p>Adiong, one of the spokespersons of the House prosecution team, said the proceeding was a &quot;last-minute&quot; effort &quot;to divert the attention of the public&quot; from the impeachment trial of Duterte and &quot;also to muddy the waters.&quot;</p><p>&quot;The constitutional priority should be the impeachment trial, because the Senate has already convened an impeachment court, and therefore, as a matter of constitutional duty, the priority now of the Senate is to hear the articles of impeachment,&quot; he told ANC.</p><p>The Sen. Erwin Tulfo-led Blue Ribbon panel said the supposed hearing on Tuesday was set <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/15/tulfo-led-blue-ribbon-says-no-hearing-on-tuesday-1621">without the authority and approval of the committee</a>.</p><p>Adiong said Tuesday&#x27;s hearing, which he said would be led by some senators &quot;who are allied with the vice president,&quot; was also meant to &quot;cast doubts&quot; on the integrity of the House prosecution team.</p><p>He noted that there some members of the prosecution were tagged in the supposed pay-off scheme, which they denied involvement with.</p><p>Cayetano  earlier said that his group was reviving the Senate investigation into the flood control mess to allow an &quot;independent&quot; look into the corruption scheme. <strong>—With reports from Marilyn Cahatol and RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News</strong></p><div><strong>OTHER NEWS: </strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jCQZzU7emUE?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ak9RtYnSLnU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The supposed Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the flood control scandal led by the allies of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano is meant to "divert" the public attention away from the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Lanao del Sur First District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said Tuesday.</p>

The supposed Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the flood control scandal led by the allies of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano is meant to "divert" the public attention away from the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, Lanao del Sur First District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said Tuesday.

Adiong: Cayetano allies' flood control hearing meant to 'divert' public attention away from impeachment

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Adiong: Cayetano allies' flood control hearing meant to 'divert' public attention away from impeachment

ABS-CBN News

Published June 16, 2026 10:02 AM PHT

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Alan Peter Cayetano

Zia Alonto Adiong

Blue Ribbon Hearing

Erwin Tulfo

Flood Control

Impeachment

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