Sen. JV Ejercito faces ethics complaint
MANILA, Philippines – Sen. JV Ejercito is facing an ethics complaint filed by lawyer Marvin Aceron, who accused him of gross neglect of his constitutional duties in office.
In an 18-page filing, Aceron said he submitted the complaint after Ejercito failed to act on an ethics complaint against former Senate President Francis G. Escudero, which was filed on October 2, 2025.
Ejercito currently serves as head of the Senate ethics panel.
“347 citizens signed that complaint—including a Constitutional Commissioner who helped draft the 1987 Constitution and a National Artist who represents the highest honor in Filipino culture. 109 days later, the Senate committee on ethics and privileges, chaired by respondent Sen. JV Ejercito, has not assigned a case number. Has not issued an acknowledgment. Has not provided any information on the complaint’s status. Has taken no action whatsoever,” the complaint reads.
READ: Escudero slapped with ethics complaint over P30-M campaign donation
“This failure is not mere negligence or administrative delay. After 109 days of complete inaction, it constitutes willful Gross Neglect of Constitutional Duty—a deliberate refusal to perform a mandatory duty,” it adds.
Aceron also claimed that the Senate ethics panel does not lack capacity but lacks the will to act.
He is seeking Ejercito’s censure, removal as ethics committee chairman, and mandatory inhibition from any further involvement in the Escudero ethics complaint.
The complaint also called for institutional reforms, including mandatory docketing within five working days, public complaint registries, and year-round processing of ethics complaints.
“This complaint does not ask the Senate to move mountains. It asks the Senate to do what barangays do in five minutes: assign a case number,” the complaint reads.
In a separate message to Inquirer on Thursday, Ejercito explained that an ongoing process governs how cases are heard and that it should follow the order of filing.
“We can’t just prioritize Aceron’s case against Sen. Escudero. We are a government of laws, not of men,” he said.
Ejercito noted that, due to the Senate’s tight schedule, the complaint against Escudero could not be read in plenary. He also pointed out that members of the ethics panel must be elected during a plenary session, and the minority bloc has yet to submit their nominees.
“We will convene the ethics committee once it is fully constituted when the session resumes,” Ejercito said.
“The lawyer who filed it seems not to have studied the procedures,” he added. /mcm
