Teves’ expulsion prompts reminder for lawmakers to use social media 'decently'
MANILA, Philippines — Former congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr.’s decision to post a video of himself allegedly mocking government officials by dancing in boxer shorts on his official Facebook page was factored into the decision to expel him, a ranking House official said.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco also stressed that lawmakers’ Facebook pages are their “direct link” to constituents and should not be misused.
“It’s very offensive to incumbent congresswomen and congressmen because no one really does that. It’s indecent. The House of Representatives, by a decision of 265, termed it as indecent behavior,” Velasco said in a press conference on Thursday.
“Most of us congressmen and congresswomen have Facebook accounts. So the feeling of congressmen and congresswomen, wala na, ano na ibig sabihin ng Facebook accounts saamin diba? (There’s nothing left to do. What do Facebook accounts mean to us now, right?)” Velasco said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Teves' Facebook page uploaded on June 5 a 59-second video of him dancing in his signature sando and boxer shorts. Teves quipped during the video that his dance was the “newest training for terrorists” — referring to the Department of Justice’s announcement that it had started the process of designating him as a terrorist.
The Anti-Terrorism Council on August 2 designated Teves as a terrorist in connection to his alleged participation in the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.
While there are no provisions in the House rulebook regarding lawmakers’ use of social media, according to the section on lawmakers' code of conduct, all House members "shall act at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably (sic) on the House."
“Maybe if he published that on TikTok, that would have been better understood by congressmen. Pero wala eh, pinublish nya sa Facebook,” Velasco said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Velasco added that this is the first time for a congressman to engage in this type of "indecent behavior." Other lawmakers typically showcase on social media their activities and raffle events for their constituents, he added.
Video was ‘satire’ for political persecution against me – Teves
Teves last week wrote to the House ethics committee to defend his posting of the video. According to the letter, which the panel received on Monday, Teves said his video was “not contemptuous in character.”
The video of Teves’ dancing was “meant clearly…(as) satire in relation to the political persecution I am experiencing from you and this administration,” the letter read.
“More precisely, it was meant to poke fun, not at the House of Representatives, but on the efforts, at the time of the video’s posting, of the laughable attempts of the executive to paint me as a ‘terrorist,'” the letter added.
Unconvinced, the House ethics panel recommended Teves' expulsion on Wednesday, which the House plenary adopted. Among the four reasons it cited for expelling Teves was his "indecent behavior portrayed in social media which reflects discredit on the House of Representatives and diminishes the stature of the position."
RELATED: House expels Teves over failure to return to country, terrorist tag
Velasco said that this is the first time that the House has expelled its own member.
Not bound by cases
Velasco also stressed that the former congressman was given “several chances” to appear before the ethics panel and defend himself.
Teves’ legal counsel, Ferdinand Topacio, said on Wednesday that “the final recommendation shows that there was never a bona fide intention to consider the evidence in favor of Mr. Teves.”
Topacio also alleged that the ethics committee violated its own rules which require it to hold off on making any decision before waiting for a final judgment from judicial, quasi-judicial or administrative bodies handling Teves’ case.
Velasco said, however, that the ethics committee took over Teves’ case before any case against the former lawmaker was filed or before he was tagged a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council — a designation which Teves’ camp has since appealed.
“So we are not bound by these cases which were filed way after the committee on ethics taken jurisdiction over these cases. So Atty. Topacio’s claims that these processes have to be completed before the ethics committee can decide has no basis,” he said.
The caretaker for the district Teves vacated – Negros Oriental’s 3rd District – will be decided by the House leadership soon, Velasco said.
Teves was previously slapped with two consecutive 60-day suspensions — the first in March and then again in May — after his refusal to return to the country despite an expired travel clearance.
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