Senator Erwin Tulfo filed multiple criminal complaints on Wednesday against former Anakalusugan Representative Mike Defensor, attorney Levito Baligod, and four others over corruption allegations aired during a June 16 gathering in Mandaluyong City.
Submitted to the Mandaluyong City Prosecutor’s Office, the lawsuit accuses Defensor, Baligod, Jeron Valderama, Bernard Gumban, Virgilio Garcia, and Quezon City Councilor Ranulfo “Rannie” Ludovica of grave oral defamation under Article 358 of the Revised Penal Code, in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
The lawsuit originated from an event initially billed as a “Blue Ribbon Sub-Committee” hearing on flood control, which Tulfo noted was later described by Defensor as a press conference.
During the broadcast, the respondents alleged that Tulfo accepted suitcases of cash from state infrastructure initiatives—a claim the senator vehemently denies.
“I didn’t get any. Even a single centavo from government projects. Wala,” Tulfo stated to the press following the filing.
The complaint emphasizes that the allegations were live-streamed to hundreds of thousands of viewers, which Tulfo claims was a deliberate attempt to malign his character. He also pointed out that the gathering lacked any senate participation despite its official-sounding title.
Furthermore, Tulfo argued that because the group had already submitted a notarized complaint detailing the same accusations to the Office of the Ombudsman back in February, repeating them publicly was unnecessary and malicious.
He clarified that his office has no involvement in infrastructure or flood control allocations.
“Wala akong infra, wala akong flood control or farm-to-market. Wala,” he asserted.
Tulfo shared that while he initially preferred to overlook the issue, his lawyers advised him to take formal legal steps.
“Korte na lang bahala sa kanila,” Tulfo concluded.
The senator is urging the prosecutor’s office to find probable cause and officially indict the six individuals.