Trillanes to pursue slapping Tulfo siblings, PTV-4 officials with plunder raps

FILE: Former Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, and her brothers Ben and Erwin Tulfo (PRIB Photos by Joseph Vidal/14 August 2018 via Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

His filing of plunder charges against former Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo, her brothers Ben and Erwin, as well as officials of state-run People’s Television Network (PTV-4) would still continue, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said on Wednesday, August 15.

“Tuloy-tuloy ang pagsampa ko ng kasong plunder laban sa kanila (I would pursue the filing of plunder charges against them),” Trillanes said.

His remark came after the Tulfo siblings showed up at a Senate inquiry on Tuesday, August 14, for the controversial advertisement deal between the Department of Tourism (DOT) and PTV-4.

Facing the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Teo, with confidence, maintained that there was “nothing illegal” in the contract, adding that the deal is a government-to-government contract within the executive department and that all payments were given directly to the government-owned media outlet.

She also stressed that the DOT advertisement placement into PTV-4’s blocktimer show “Kilos Pronto,” hosted by Ben and Erwin, had gone through “proper channels” and that the proposal went through the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), which was then approved.

“All programs and activities have been conducted and implemented within the bounds of law,” Teo told the Senate panel.

However, Trillanes did not buy this.

“Maliwanag pa sa sikat ng araw na lahat ng elemento ng krimen na plunder ay ginawa ng magkakapatid na sina Ben Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo, at Wanda Teo at ilang opisyales ng DOT at PTV4 (It is clearer than the sun’s rays that all elements of plunder have been committed by the siblings, Ben Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo, and Wanda Teo and some officials of the DOT and PTV-4),” he said.

The senator did not believe the former Tourism chief when she said she was unaware that her brothers were the hosts of “Kilos Pronto,” a show produced by Bitag Media Unlimited, Inc (BMUI) owned by Ben.

“Dagdag pa rito, napaamin si Erwin Tulfo na nakinabang siya sa transaksyong ito dahil siya ay kumikita ng P150 thousand na sweldo kada episode o mahigit 3 milyon kada buwan (In addition, Erwin Tulfo admitted that he benefitted from this transaction because he earned P150,000 per episode or more than three million per month),” the opposition senator noted.

In an audit report on the DOT for 2017, the Commission on Audit (COA) earlier said there was a “possible conflict of interest” in the contract, considering that the former DOT secretary and the producer of “Kilos Pronto” are siblings.

Of the P120 million project, the state auditors said, 75 percent or P89.9 million went to the program.

Senator Richard “Dick” Gordon, Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairperson, agreed with this saying, “Tama ‘yung sinabi ng COA [na] may liability. Lahat ng sinabi ng COA tama ‘yun (The COA was right that there is a liability. Everything that the COA said was correct). Liability on the part of the Tulfos, on the part of PTV-4, on the part of all other people.”

“Kahit na isoli ang pera, may liability pa rin ‘yan (Even if they return the money, there is still a liability),” he added.

Gordon also said the accused should be charged with graft and not plunder since the Tulfo siblings did not “pocket the money” and used it for the advertisement.

He also spared Erwin from accountability as the latter was only a talent of the BMUI and not actually part of the company.