‘Ilocos 6’ still detained as House summons Imee

MANILA, Philippines - The six Ilocos Norte officials held in contempt and ordered detained by a House committee for refusing to answer questions at a hearing will remain in detention – possibly until the end of the current Congress in June 2019 – or until they decide to cooperate with lawmakers.

House officials returned the six provincial officials to their detention cell yesterday and warned them of a protracted detention despite a Court of Appeals ruling allowing them to post bail for their temporary liberty.

“So how long can (Congress) hold a person in contempt? The SC said as long as that life of the particular Congress. In this particular Congress, its life will end June 30, 2019, so these people can be held in contempt until that time,” House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said.

The six are being investigated for the alleged anomalous purchase of P66.4 million worth of vehicles. They have been in detention at the House premises since May 29.

The House committee on good government and accountability has issued a subpoena to Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, ordering her to attend the next hearing on July 25 after the State of the Nation Address of President Duterte.

“I’m very confident the SC will uphold us on this matter,” Fariñas, who represents a district of Ilocos Norte, said as all of his colleagues, including committee chairman Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, rejected Rep. Imelda Marcos’ plea for the release of the officials on humanitarian grounds.

The former first lady and mother of Imee attended the hearing but left after the lawmakers unanimously rejected her request to have the detained resource persons – aged 47 to 63 – released on her recognizance.

The provincial officials refused to answer questions from the committee, invoking their right against self-incrimination.

“We will respect that. In the same manner, you will also respect us when we detain you here,” Fariñas said.

In the same hearing, 30 members of the Pimentel committee – upon the motion of Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali who heads the House justice committee – voted to order three Court of Appeals justices to show cause why they should not be cited for contempt.

Umali, a lawyer just like Fariñas and Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, called the appellate court “an inferior court” and questioned why the magistrates granted the petition for habeas corpus of the so-called “Ilocos 6” and ordered their release on bail.

“The CA has resulted in an absurdity. What will happen now to Congress if these persons cited in contempt will be allowed to post bail every time? We will be toothless,” Fariñas pointed out.

Rep. Eugene Michael de Vera of party-list ABS also cited a 1952 jurisprudence where the SC upheld the power of Congress – the Senate in particular – to cite its “recalcitrant witnesses” in contempt, or even send them to the national penitentiary.

The lawmakers, led by Fariñas, also wondered why the CA justices didn’t accord the House leadership due process with regard to the habeas corpus petitions.

“The CA did not give the House the opportunity to be heard. The House, as an institution, is an indispensable party in this case,” Fariñas argued, noting that the sergeant-at-arms only acts upon orders of the House leadership.