REP. Rep. Leila de Lima (PL, Mamamayang Liberal) yesterday criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for allegedly avoiding tackling the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte and other critical national issues in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday.
Marcos has kept his distance from the impeachment moves against Duterte even while his political ties with the vice president had crumbled. He has said he never wanted Duterte impeached.
De Lima, who has been detained for almost seven years for trumped-up drug charges filed against her under the administration of Duterte’s father, is a member of the House of Representatives’ 11-man prosecution panel in the Vice President’s impeachment trial, which was aborted after the Supreme Court last week declared the Articles of Impeachment against her unconstitutional.
“Kulang-kulang na SONA. Kinalimutan ang human rights. Nagpakita ng tapang sa mga palpak at pinagkaperahang flood control projects, pero tikom ang bibig sa impeachment at maling paggamit ng confidential at intelligence funds (The SONA is wanting. Human rights was forgotten. While showing toughness against failed and anomalous flood control projects, his mouth was shut on impeachment and the misuse of confidential and intelligence funds),” the former senator said in a statement.
The House impeached Duterte last February based on various allegations, including her alleged misuse of a total of P612.5 million in confidential funds disbursed by both the Department of Education, which she used to head as secretary, and the Office of the Vice President, through the use of dubious recipients such as the now infamous “Mary Jane Piattos.”
Duterte faced seven Articles of Impeachment, which also raised her use of P125 million in just 11 days in December 2022 when she was still education secretary.
The House leadership has said it would appeal the SC’s decision because of what it said were factual errors in the ruling, particularly the High Court’s claim that the impeachment articles were transmitted to the Senate without the House’s plenary approval.
De Lima, a member of the minority bloc, also chastised the president for allegedly ignoring the online gambling problem.
Another minority bloc lawmaker, Rep. Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, said not only the online gambling issue was not discussed by the President but also his stand on the much-awaited proposed P200 legislated wage increase “in the face of sky-rocketing prices of commodities.”
Senate President Francis Escudero said the president’s no mention of online gambling in his SONA does not necessarily mean he does not care about the problems it causes. He said the president found it important to focus on social services, and the online gambling issue can be raised with the chief executive anytime in media interviews.
Rep. Antonio Tinio (PL, ACT), a member of the militant Makabayan bloc, said nothing as mentioned about wage hike. He said the president is “really allergic” to the call of workers and the people.
Tinio also reminded the president of his campaign promise to bring down the price of rice to P20 per kilo, saying it “remains a showcase limited to select Kadiwa stores while food insecurity persists nationwide.
Deputy speaker Janette Garin lauded the President for delivering what she called “his best State of the Nation Address (SONA) to date.” She praised the President’s speech for “providing a clear sense of direction for the Filipino people.”
Quezon City Rep. Patric Michael Vargas reaffirmed his commitment to work for bills that support the president’s vision, specifically focusing on livelihood, public health and Education.
Among the bills he has initially filed are the proposed Growth and Recovery for MSMEs (HB 2271), Shared Service Facilities for MSMEs (HB2268), Financial Literacy in Schools Act (HB 2270), Digital Public Libraries and Reading Centers Act (HB 2264) and Last Mile Schools Act (HB 2266).
Vargas said the bills directly respond to the President’s call during the SONA, such as bolstering the country’s education system, enhancing support to the youth sector, and ensuring greater access of medium, small and micro enterprises (MSMEs) to institutional support and accessible business cost.
“We must translate national agenda into concrete laws that better lives and ensure that no one is left behind,” he said.
Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund Villafuerte, president of the National Unity Party (NUP), welcomed the president’s commitment to build more evacuation centers nationwide to provide temporary shelter to evacuees and stop the practice of using schools as ECs, in the face of the new normal of deadlier and more frequent tropical cyclones and other natural disasters brought on by climate change. – With Raymond Africa
