A magnitude 7.0 tremor that battered Mindanao on Monday morning prompted Senator Erwin Tulfo to call off the resumed Blue Ribbon Committee inquiry into the flood control scandal, with the panel chairman citing solidarity with those caught in the disaster.
“We sympathize with the victims of earthquake in Mindanao kaya po dalawang bagay, we suspend this meeting bilang paggalang po sa mga biktima ng matinding lindol dyan po sa Mindanao,” Tulfo said as he adjourned the proceeding.
The senator told colleagues that lawmakers aligned with the chamber’s new majority would travel to the hardest-hit communities, signaling that the bloc intends to take part in the relief effort rather than continue with legislative business for the day.
Monday’s hearing marked the first session under Tulfo since the Senate’s leadership shakeup installed him as Blue Ribbon chairman, a post previously held by Senator Pia Cayetano. The reorganization, which also elevated Senator Sherwin Gatchalian to acting Senate president, has been rejected by the Cayetano camp, leaving two rival groups each claiming authority over the committee’s flood control investigation.
The earthquake that interrupted the proceeding struck off the coast of Sarangani at 7:37 a.m., according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, which initially measured it at magnitude 7.0 before revising the figure upward to 7.8 as data came in. The agency placed the epicenter roughly 125 kilometers northeast of Sarangani and issued a tsunami warning covering nine provinces, advising coastal residents to move to higher ground.
The disruption landed on the first day of the school year, sending students and teachers out of classrooms across the region as local governments suspended classes and office work. Authorities in South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani reported disruptions to power and internet services while assessing the extent of the damage.
The flood control inquiry that Tulfo paused centers on allegations that billions of pesos tied to public works projects were diverted through kickback schemes, claims that have drawn in a roster of senators and dominated the chamber’s attention for months.
