REP. Ron Salo (PL, Kabayan) yesterday slammed former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque for accusing the House of Representatives of allegedly politicizing the removal of Vice President Sara Duterte’s confidential funds in the proposed P5.768 trillion national budget for 2024, dismissing it as a mere “publicity stunt.”
“Harry Roque’s allegations of politicization within the House of Representatives are not only unfounded but profoundly hypocritical, especially in light of his past membership in the very institution he now criticizes,” said Salo.
Roque, a former Kabayan representative himself, who had a falling out with Salo, had earlier said the House’s extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses are even worse than confidential and intelligence funds because it does not require an official receipt.
Based on his experience when he was still a congressman, Roque said all that was required was a “certification of expenses.”
Salo questioned Roque’s credibility, noting that he was expelled from the party due to his conduct during a congressional probe into the drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison in 2017.
“It’s ironic that someone with such a history now seeks to lecture the House on political matters,” Salo said. “The House’s decision to remove the confidential funds was executed in strict adherence to established protocols and, above all, to serve the best interests of the Filipino people, free from any political ulterior motives, after thorough public hearings,” he said.
The House of Representatives has decided to divert some P1.23 billion in confidential funds from several government agencies, including the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the DepEd, to efforts to boost security in the West Philippine Sea (WPS)
‘INAPPROPRIATE’
Salo also deemed as “highly inappropriate and baseless” Roque’s assertion that extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses pose a more significant concern for public accountability than confidential funds.
“Roque’s inflammatory statements appear to be more of a publicity stunt. Perhaps he wants to relish his days when he was still the presidential spokesperson and the center of media attention,” Salo said.
Administration lawmakers have been coming out to denounce the death threats made by former president Rodrigo against members of the Makabayan bloc, particularly Rep. France Castro (PL, ACT).
In defending his daughter ‘s request for confidential funds, the elder Duterte was quoted as saying in an interview 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 recruitment 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.
He likewise accused Speaker Martin Romualdez of attacking the Vice President for being perceived as a “good” presidential candidate in 2028 since the Speaker wants to run for president. He also alleged that the House has a hidden “pork barrel” and called it the “most rotten” institution in the country.
CALM
Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. appealed for calm and composure amid the heated exchanges between congressmen and the Duterte camp, saying “it is always preferable and always more productive to dial up dialogue and dial down divisive rhetoric when we deliberate on the issues that concern our people.”
The veteran pastor-legislator said that his experience in Congress has taught him that “it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable.”
Abante pointed out that “naturally, we leaders can be passionate about our advocacies and can be very resolute in our positions.” “But even in our most intense debates there should always be room for comity and collegiality,” he said.
In the ongoing national conversation about confidential funds, Abante said, all voices deserve to be heard and respected, but at the end of the day Congress must act as one to uphold the interests of its constituents.
“Our foremost duty as public servants is to the Filipino people, and it is incumbent upon us to rise above personal and political divides to prioritize their welfare and the nation’s advancement,” he said.
In separate Facebook posts, Mindanao lawmakers rallied behind the House leadership, saying they fully support Romualdez’s leadership.
In separate Facebook posts, Reps. Ace Barbers (Surigao del Norte), Cheeno Miguel D. Almario (Davao Oriental), Maricar Zamora (Davao de Oro) and Francisco Jose “Bingo” Matugas (Surigao del Norte) defended the House’s move to remove the OVP’s CIF.
“As one of the senior members of the House, I stand by the institution’s integrity and strict adherence to the law,” Barbers said, belying the elder Duterte’s claims that the pork barrel system remain in Congress, a practice already outlawed by the Supreme Court.
Almario, a neophyte lawmaker, said the that while he respects the opinion of former president Duterte, the latest COA report on the chamber tells a different story.
“On the recent statement of the former President, we respect his opinion as we do others, as well. Let the axe fall where it may. The latest Commission on Audit report will show how the House funds were dispensed responsibly,” he said.
For his part, Matugas said the House has “consistently demonstrated a commitment to transparency and accountability” and has not received any notice of disallowance from the COA.
For her part, Zamora said that “amid all the issues hurled at the House of Representatives, I want to express my full support and trust to my colleagues in Congress under the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez and all the employees who continue to work, regardless of there is a session or not, to bring various services to every Filipino.”
