‘House of Representatives to protect members from harm’

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives under the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez will not just protect the institution from being maligned with baseless insinuations, but will also protect its members who may be exposed to physical bodily harm, a congressman said.

“I think the House will be united to stop all of these statements that are not really needed to be issued by any person,” House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe said, following threats made by former president Rodrigo Duterte against opposition Rep. France Castro of party-list ACT Teachers.

“We do not want anybody to just issue a death threat to any senator or congressman, or even to the President of the Philippines, Vice President of the Philippines. This just cannot simply be,” the Zamboanga City congressman said.

Dalipe issued the statement in television interviews after he was asked whether House leaders would support the charge of grave threat that Castro is planning to file against Duterte, who has been making threats in TV and radio interviews in Davao City.

He likened the utterance of an intimidating remark to making a bomb hoax in the airport, which the law prohibits. “It’s just like going to the airport and then you suddenly utter remarks that you are carrying a bomb, but claim later that it was all a joke. The House takes that seriously.”

Castro, along with her Makabayan bloc colleagues, has been very vocal in criticizing Vice President Sara Duterte for her request of P650 million in confidential and intelligence funds – P500 million for Office of the VP and P150 million for the Department of Education, which she also heads.

The House realigned the P650 million, together with the CIFs of several civilian offices, to agencies that protect the country’s territorial integrity, particularly in the West Philippine Sea, and Filipino fishermen, and those involved in intelligence information collection and evaluation.

It also allocated some funds to develop Pag-asa Island, which is located in the West Philippine Sea, as a manifestation of the government’s determination to strengthen its presence in the area that China is also claiming.

The House decision to realign the vice president’s CIFs has apparently been resented by her father, who criticized the chamber, of which he once was a member.

Dalipe refuted the elder Duterte’s claims of misappropriating funds, saying the Commission on Audit has officially attested to the House’s clean audit standing.

COA issued a certification last Oct. 2, which was a confirmation of its Sept. 30 letter, declaring that the House has no notices of suspension, disallowance, or charge. A July 6 published COA report also highlighted that the House had a budget surplus of P4.69 billion in its 2022 allocations.

“We have submitted all of the documents that have been asked of us, we have always complied. We have managed to liquidate expenses that needed liquidation, and the House does this, and report such to the COA,” Dalipe said.