Tolentino confirms stepping down as Blue Ribbon chair, CA member

In a press briefing, Tolentino said the move is to honor the agreement with the Senate leadership when he assumed the post that he would limit it to one-and-a-half years. (File Photo: Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB via Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – Senator Francis Tolentino announced on Tuesday that he is set to manifest his resignation as chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and member of the Commission on Appointments when the Senate resumes its regular session on Jan. 22, 2024.

In a press briefing, Tolentino said the move is to honor the agreement with the Senate leadership when he assumed the post that he would limit it to one-and-a-half years.

“In fulfillment of a sacred commitment to serve as Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman and Member of the Commission on Appointments for a concise term of one-and-a-half years, I find it both a duty and an honor to uphold the essence of a prior agreement,” he said.

Tolentino noted that upholding the commitment is in sync with the “evolving contextual conditions,” such as the pressing need to focus on the Special Committee on Maritime and Admiralty Zones, which he also chairs.

He also said his resignation is partly because of his preparation for the mid-term elections.

“Kasama na po lahat yan sa (Those are all included in the) evolving contextual conditions,” he said.

With the end of his designation term on Dec. 31, Tolentino went over the accomplishments of the Blue Ribbon Committee under his leadership, such as amending the Procurement Law, the participation of the Office of the Solicitor General in contract negotiations, and the proposal to abolish the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management.

“Sa ilalim ng panunungkulan ko (Under my term), we’ve spent 67 hours and 41 minutes of public hearings. We have 358 resource persons, tatlong committee reports at halos himayin po namin ang (three committee reports and we looked into every detail of) 3,007 pages of transcript stenographic notes, 420 pages of committee reports, which led to the indictment of 13 individuals,” he said.

The panel was also able to conduct investigations, including motu propio, in response to eight resolutions.

Despite ending his term, Tolentino expressed his willingness to “serve in any capacity” to help the Senate leadership.

Meanwhile, he advised his predecessor to uphold the integrity of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

In a recent radio interview, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Tolentino has indicated his plan to step down from the chairmanship for being “very busy.”

Zubiri said he tried to convince Tolentino not to do it and told him that as an elected senator, he could only resign in the plenary with the presence of other senators.