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 current Congress, dismissed the claims as baseless and politically motivated, as reported by BusinessWorld .
The 18 former Marines, in a complaint filed earlier, accused the two senators of receiving millions of pesos in kickbacks from flood control infrastructure projects implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways. The complainants claimed that the alleged payoffs were delivered in luggage bags, a charge both senators vehemently refuted. Mr. Tulfo said the allegations were part of a smear campaign against him and Mr. Sotto, whom he described as a seasoned legislator with a spotless record.
Mr. Sotto, for his part, released a separate statement calling the accusations "outrageous and fabricated," and challenged the former soldiers to present concrete evidence in a proper forum. Both senators expressed confidence that the BRC, which investigates government corruption, would find no wrongdoing on their part. The case has drawn attention as the Senate prepares to resume its inquiry into alleged irregularities in public infrastructure spending.