167 lawmakers sign resolution on HRET power

MANILA, Philippines - A total of 167 congressmen have signed a resolution urging the House of Representatives to impose the power of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) over cases filed against the lawmakers.

House Resolution 597, authored by Mindoro Oriental Rep. Reynaldo Umali, states that the House of Representatives must fight for the jurisdiction of HRET, which has the sole authority and power to hear protests filed against its members as provided uder the Constitution.

Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) disqualified Regina Reyes as the elected representative of Marinduque.

Reyes won in the May elections against her rival Lord Allan Velasco, a son of SC Justice Presbitero Velasco, by a margin of 4,000 votes.

Meanwhile, despite the 167 signatures, Umali clarified the resolution was not intended to blackmail the SC magistrates on the issue of Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

Umali said they needed to protect the HRET as its decisions will affect the Congress. He advised the judiciary to cleanse its own ranks.