THE House of Representatives will act as one “to fight any threat or intimidation” against any of its members, regardless of his or her political affiliation, House Majority Leader Jose Manuel Dalipe said yesterday.
“We do not want that anybody would just issue a death threat to any senator or to any congressman, or even to the president of the Philippines, vice president of the Philippines.
Hindi po puwede,” Dalipe told a television interview. “I think the House will be united to stop all of these statements that are not really needed to be issued by any person,” he said.
The House Majority Leader was reacting to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s death threats against Rep. France Castro (PL, ACT) and members of the Makabayan bloc who is thinking about filing charges of grave threats against the ex-chief executive.
In defending request of Vice President Sara Duterte for confidential funds, the elder Duterte was quoted as saying that the confidential funds for the Department of Education (DepEd) requested by his daughter would be used for the reestablishment of the Reserve Officers Training Corps. (ROTC) and to fight off communist recruiters in the educational system.
The former president was also quoted as saying that he told his daughter that she should have been candid and told the Makabayan bloc that they are really the target of the confidential funds and that he wants to kill Castro and all groups he branded as communists.
“We do not want that anybody would just issue a death threat to any senator or to any congressman, or even to the president of the Philippines, vice president of the Philippines.
Hindi po puwede,” he said.
Dalipe likened the death threat to a bomb hoax at the airport, which is punishable by law:
“Parang pumupunta ka sa airport tapos sasabihin mo may dala-dala kang bomba na (It’s like you’re going to the airport and announce that you have a bomb with you and that) it’s just a joke. So the House takes that threat seriously.”
Castro, along with her Makabayan bloc colleagues, has been very vocal in criticizing the Vice President for her request for P650 million in confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) – P500 million for the Office of the Vice President and P150 million for the Department of Education, which the younger Duterte also heads as concurrent Education Secretary.
The House has realigned the P650 million, together with the confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) of other civilian offices to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and other agencies at the forefront of defending the country’s territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
The House has also allocated some funds to develop Pag-asa Island, which is located in the WPS, as a manifestation of the government’s determination to strengthen its presence in that area, which China is claiming together with most of the vital global trade route South China Sea.
Dalipe also took exception to the elder Duterte’s accusation that Congress is the most “rotten” institution in the country, which, he said, should be audited by the Commission on Audit (COA).
The House leader said the COA has formally attested to the chamber’s clean audit standing, contradicting the ex-president’s allegations, adding that the House is not exempt from public audit.
Dalipe cited a COA certification dated October 2, 2023, which confirmed that as of September 30, 2023, the House has no notices of suspension, disallowance, or charge.
Furthermore, underscoring the House’s financial health, the COA report published last July 6 highlighted that the House had a budget surplus of P4.69 billion in its 2022 allocations.
“Lahat ng kailangan na i-submit ng House of Representatives, lahat ng kung anong kailangan i-liquidate, ginagawa po ‘yan, nirereport ng House of Representatives sa Commission on Audit (All that the House of Representatives need to submit, all that needs to be liquidated, it’s being done, the House reports it to the Commission on Audit),” he said.
According to Dalipe, the COA certification is a clear indicator that the House is in full compliance with the auditing procedures set forth by the state audit body.
