MANILA — Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson expressed skepticism on Saturday, October 17, regarding the underlying motivations of three minority senators who voted to revive a legal challenge against Senator Erwin Tulfo’s Senate seat despite what he termed glaring procedural flaws.
Lacson criticized the actions of the three minority representatives within the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET), arguing that fairness was sidelined when they favored an appeal to reverse the dismissal of a quo warranto petition targeting Tulfo.
“Their motive may be deeper than personal issues against Sen. Tulfo,” Lacson wrote on his social media account.
His remarks followed a 6-3 tribunal ruling on Friday that struck down a motion for reconsideration filed by Berteni Cataluña Causing, which aimed to disqualify Tulfo over citizenship and qualification concerns.
The minority members of the tribunal who cast dissenting votes in favor of the appeal are Senators Robin Padilla, Pia Cayetano, and Camille Villar.
“SENATE ELECTORAL TRIBUNAL: Justice and fairness went out of the window when three minority senator-members voted in favor of an out-of-time motion for reconsideration filed by a petitioner without legal standing,” Lacson said.
The SET majority dismissed Causing’s petition because it missed the deadlines outlined in the 2020 SET Rules, failed to follow proper pleading and service requirements, and lacked sufficient formal structure.
Lacson maintained that these legal deficiencies should have automatically barred the appeal, pointing out that Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan previously noted the petitioner’s failure to prove he is a registered voter—a mandatory prerequisite. He stated that this exact issue remained uncorrected when the motion for reconsideration was lodged in April.
Conversely, Lacson commended the six tribunal members who upheld the dismissal, acknowledging their adherence to procedural rules.
“MORE ON THE SENATE ELECTORAL TRIBUNAL: Let’s give credit to the three SC justice-members and the other three senator-members who undoubtedly knew the obvious procedural flaw which resulted in a 6-3 vote, thus dismissing the motion for reconsideration,” Lacson added in a separate post.
The tribunal comprises three Supreme Court justices and six senators, with the majority bloc represented by Pangilinan, Bam Aquino, and Lito Lapid, all aligning under the Senate majority led by Senate President Win Gatchalian. Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen chairs the SET, joined by Associate Justices Henri Jean Paul Inting and Ramon Paul Hernando.
Causing’s initial petition challenged Tulfo’s seating based on allegations involving foreign allegiance, citizenship questions, political dynasty rules, and educational qualifications.
While the SET upheld the dismissal of the petition due to form insufficiencies without evaluating its merits, the ruling remains without prejudice to filing a future petition.