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Sen. Raffy Tulfo explains his vote during the senate deliberation on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, weighing constitutional precedents and procedural safeguards during Wednesday’s plenary session, August 6, 2025. Senate of the Philippines/ Screengrab

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SENATE- IMPEACHMENT VOTE- SC DECISION

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — Sen. Raffy Tulfo flagged the unfinished construction of a new terminal by the Philippine Ports Authority in Zamboanga worth almost half a billion pesos.</p><p>&quot;Mr. President, may nakarating po sa akin na may isang infrastructure project ang PPA sa Zamboanga, isang very modern (daw) na two-story passenger terminal with a penthouse intended to cover 9,416 square meters and serve up to 3,000 passengers,&quot; Tulfo said in a privileged speech in the Senate.</p><p>He said the project was awarded to MAC Builders at the contract price of P485 million. The Notice to Proceed was issued Feb. 23, 2021, approved by PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago.</p><p>Tulfo added that the agreed timeline for completion was 720 calendar days, targeting Feb. 13, 2023. But the project remains unfinished 932 days after, with a completion rate of 56%.  </p><p>The senator chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services, which has jurisdiction over all matters affecting public services and utilities; communications; land, air, river and sea transportation including railroads, inter-island navigation, and lighthouses; and the grant or amendment of legislative franchises.</p><p>&quot;Sa ngayon, civil works appear to have been abandoned, no updates or accountability have been made public by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA),&quot; he said. </p><p>Tulfo pointed that the PPA have made several excuses, including limited supply of construction materials, insufficient manpower, and persistent unworkable weather conditions. </p><p>&quot;Lahat naman dinadaanan ‘yan dapat ay naka-factor-in na ‘yan sa timeline nila. At kahit natamaan pa ito ng COVID, matagal nang natapos ang pandemya. Sabi nga ng mga tao doon, mas nauna pa natapos ang SM na sinimulan kamakailan lang kesa matapos itong Passenger Terminal,&quot; he said. </p><p>Tulfo said the project has been extended at least five times.</p><p>&quot;Mr. President, puro extension na itong proyekto na ito. Ngayon, pinapa-approve nila ang 5th Project Extension, at pending approval, nag-aapply na sila ng 6th Project Extension.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Ang nakakapagtaka, may nagsabi sa akin na naghahanap na sila ng subcontractor na tatapos nito pero wala nang gusto humawak nitong proyekto dahil hindi na sapat ang pondo para sa pagtapos ng proyekto,&quot; he said. </p><p>Tulfo noted that the Zamboanga Passenger Terminal is just one of the many projects under the watch of PPA General Manager Jay Santiago, which are distributed to three pet contractors including MAC Builders.</p><p>The firm was already blacklisted in February 2021 by the National Irrigation Administration due to the termination of the P730.9 million worth Malinao Dam Improvement Project in Bohol over &quot;failure to fully and faithfully comply with contractual obligations without valid cause&quot; and lack of essential equipment, according to Tulfo.</p><p>The firm was supposedly suspended from government procurement from Jan. 28, 2021 to Jan. 27, 2022. But Tulfo said the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) lifted the suspension after just one month.</p><p>&quot;The performance security of ₱219.28 million was forfeited, and MAC was suspended from government procurement for one year mula Jan 28, 2021 hanggang Jan 27, 2022, pero ang mirakulo di pa lumalagpas ang isang buwan, February 19, 2021 ay hindi na blacklisted ang MAC Builders ng Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB). Magaling talaga!&quot;</p><p>The company also pays its workers late, provides no benefits, and employs a <em>palakasan<strong> </strong></em>culture<em><strong></strong></em>, said Tulfo.</p><p>&quot;They did not pay government contributions, delayed salary and toxic culture at work. Management has no care at all.”  </p><p>&quot;Pambihira naman ito, hindi man lang naibahagi sa mga empleyado nilang nagpapakahirap yung mga naibulsang pera ng bayan. MAC Builders makonsensya naman kayo diyan,&quot; Tulfo said. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/19/sen-raffy-tulfo-54-staff-members-undergo-drug-test-1532">Sen. Raffy Tulfo, 54 staff members undergo drug test</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;ZAMBOANGA PORT SIMILAR TO FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS&#x27;</strong></div><p>The senator likened this to the ghost flood control projects now being probed by the Senate.</p><p>&quot;Mr. President, sounds familiar itong unfinished Passenger Terminal Project sa Zamboanga. At dahil may momentum na tayo dito sa mga flood control projects, gusto kong tuluy-tuloyin na itong pag-ungkat ng mga kalokohan sa iba pang mga proyekto ng gobyerno. I want to focus on improving our transportation sector.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/1/bonoan-contractors-attend-2nd-senate-hearing-into-flood-control-0958">Ex-DPWH chief Bonoan, contractors attend 2nd Senate hearing into flood control mess</a></div><p>Tulfo also claimed that apart from this delayed Passenger Terminal, the Zamboanga Port also provides bad services, despite the P2.5 billion contract with Globalport Zamboanga Terminal Inc.</p><p>Despite the P2.5 billion contract with Globalport Zamboanga Terminal Inc., Tulfo claimed that the Zamboanga Port provides bad services including &quot;persistent scalping and port access issues,&quot; &quot;repeated complaints about unauthorized ticket resellers and weak ticketing controls&quot; and &quot;poor pre-departure holding area conditions.&quot;</p><p>He said &quot;passengers are required to stay for at least two hours in the pre-departure area, do not have any proper seating facilities and suffer from poor ventilation.&quot;</p><p>He added that there are no special lanes or priority boarding for parents with small children, senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and pregnant women.</p><p>Tulfo noted that there is also a concern over the cargo-handling rates in Zamboanga that increased by more than 300%. </p><p>&quot;Local stakeholders cite this as a major blow to small traders from Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi who rely on the port for commerce. Indeed, people from the Shipping Industry has been saying that the PPA-Infra anomalies has slowed domestic trade significantly and has made local shipping more expensive than international shipping,&quot; he said. </p><p>Tulfo also reported that during these ocular inspections and committee hearings conducted on the state of ports, he flagged various issues including: </p><ul style="list-style-type:circle"><li>Overloading during peak seasons caused by faulty ticketing systems of passenger ship companies</li><li>No strict documentation through the manifest log sheet of passengers</li><li>Lack of proper screening of passengers and their bags, particularly those onboard Roro and private vehicles</li><li>Some ports have substandard facilities, no sufficient seats in the waiting area, unsanitary toilets, and poor ventilation</li><li>During peak seasons, fixers demand P2,500 to P5,000 from vehicle owners in exchange for prioritized port entry and</li><li>Need to provide more x-ray machines and K-9 units to check carfo being loaded on the vessels used to transport smuggled goods, unregulated firearms and prohibited drugs. </li></ul><div><br/></div><p>During the interpellation by Sen. Erwin Tulfo, his brother Sen. Raffy Tulfo explained the apparent causes of delay.</p><p>&quot;Tama, Mr. President, hindi pa na kumpleto at marami mga binibigay na dahilan. Itong contractor, kekesyo COVID, kesyo ulan, kesyo kulang sa manpower, marami mga kesyo. At ngayon, naghahanap po sila ng another contractor para masubcontract yung proyekto pero walang gustong tumanggap na contractor dahil malulugi sila.&quot;</p><p>Tulfo said his panel will investigate the matter.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/8/10/ppa-no-terminal-fee-hike-at-batangas-port-while-oriental-mindoro-is-in-state-of-calamity-1620">PPA: No terminal fee hike at Batangas Port while Oriental Mindoro is in state of calamity</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2a8PE6XJXNU?si=JF9DO9ZcPoGUZL2I" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div>

<p>Sen. Raffy Tulfo flagged the unfinished construction of a new terminal by the Philippine Ports Authority in Zamboanga worth almost half a billion pesos.</p>

Sen. Raffy Tulfo flagged the unfinished construction of a new terminal by the Philippine Ports Authority in Zamboanga worth almost half a billion pesos.

Raffy Tulfo flags unfinished Zamboanga Port project

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Raffy Tulfo flags unfinished Zamboanga Port project

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 02, 2025 08:45 PM PHT

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