SENATOR Erwin Tulfo has said that he might just take the job of the Blue Ribbon Committee chair if there will really be no ‘takers,’ but still expressed optimism that some more experienced and veteran colleague will be willing to take the place of resigned committee chair Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
“Sabi ko medyo mabigat po na responsibilidad dyan. Sabi ko for now, sabi ko okay lang maging acting chairman tayo habang wala pa kayong napipili. I’m sure, marami namang mas magagaling pa diyan at mga veterano na mga senador,” Tulfo said, sharing part of the conversation he had with Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III.
According to Tulfo, he was tasked to take over as acting chair since he is actually the Vice Chairman of the said committee but that he is willing to step aside if someone else is chosen.
“Alam ko pong [may] mas magagaling syempre. ‘Yung experienced, mula years of experience. I’ll leave it to the Senate leadership…sanay naman din tayo, as a media man ho. So we can, kung talagang push comes to shove, wala na po talaga mapili, siguro I’ll take po the job. Kasi hindi po pwedeng walang kukuha ng trabaho,” Tulfo added.
Tulfo said that for now, considering that the break is up to Friday, the earliest time that the hearings are expected to resume would be anywhere from October 20 to 23.
Once hearings resume, Tulfo said the Senate intends to request the attendance of representatives from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to be able to dig deeper into its lost income.
Just recently, it was bared that P1.7 billion in taxes were not paid by the Discayas alone. There are a number of individuals said to be involved in the multi-billion anomalous flood control projects.
Tulfo recently proposed a one-month tax break for ordinary workers as contained in Senate Bill No. (SBN) 1446, known as the ‘One-Month Tax Holiday of 2025.’ There, he acknowledged the need for a “far, extraordinary and immediate form of relief” that will return benefits directly to the people, particularly the working population, amid wild clamor resulting from the flood control projects scam.
However, he was quick to declare that the tax holiday will not include big contractors and the like.
“Hindi naman tayo papayag niyan. Kumikita na sila nang malaki tapos exempted pa po sila sa buwis. Huwag naman ho. I mean, pang-aabuso na, panlalamang na. Ayan na nga, tapos, hindi pa napunta sa proyekto yung pera. Tapos, wala pa silang tax. Napakaswerte naman. Talaga, parang sila mga anak ng Diyos,” he stressed.
