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MANILA, Philippines —Three members of the House of Representatives denounced their removal as committee chairs on Wednesday amid a leadership contest between President Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco.
A day earlier, the House leadership announced an “election” that resulted in the rotation of the presidencies of the following:
- the Health Committee, with the representative of Quezon Angelina Tan being replaced by the representative of Guimaras Lucille Nava
- the Economic Affairs Commission, with Representative Sharon Garin of the party list group AAMBIS-OW being replaced by Representative Aklan Teodorico Haresco Jr.
- the Youth and Sports Committee, with the representative of Valenzuela Eric Martínez being replaced by the representative of Manila Yul Servo Nieto
In separate interviews, Tan, Garin and Martínez, perceived as allies of Velasco, lamented how politics once again tarnished the reputation of the House of Representatives even during the prevailing coronavirus pandemic.
Garin said he awaited his removal after joining Velasco’s entourage in a meeting on September 27 with President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang, where he spoke openly about the need for lawmakers to stick to the shared term agreement “15-21 ”.
“I am one of the casualties of the war due to the fight between Velasco and Speaker Cayetano. But sadly, too, the victim is our entire nation, ”Garin said in an interview with the ABS-CBN news channel.
“The politics are very brutal,” Garin added.
But then she said that by removing her, along with Representative 1-Pacman Michael Romero, who was removed as vice president, Cayetano alienated the sectoral representatives in the House.
Romeo is the Chairman of the Party List Coalition.
“So, it is as if we are already abandoning the due proportion and fairness that we have traditionally done in the Chamber. I can’t understand that, ”Garin said. “I’ve been very protective of fair and equitable treatment for party list representatives in Congress, and this type of replacement is unfair and unfair to me.”
Martinez, the former chairman of the House youth and sports committee, said he was not even given the “courtesy as a member of the House” to be notified of his impending expulsion.
According to the Valenzuela legislator, Cayetano’s could have been won by encouraging his party colleagues to “maintain the line and insist on a shared term agreement.”
“As one of the original members of PD-Laban, [I think] there is nothing wrong with adhering to the principles of our party and trying to protect its interests. Even the leader of our party, President Duterte, has already said that we comply with the term sharing agreement, ”Valenzuela said in a telephone interview.
“If there is something we have tested here, it is that [in PDP Laban] They are not the hooligans here, ”he added.
Tan said he was surprised when he heard the news about his impeachment, saying that no one had warned him of his impending impeachment.
Tan said he regretted his removal because Cayetano himself assured the presidents that they would keep their posts despite differences in positions. He added that he was not even a delinquent member of the House.
“So if I’m going to stick to his statement, I also want to hear from him what the reason for my dismissal as committee chairman could be because only he has answers for that. Personally, I don’t see any reason as I don’t have a bad relationship with the Speaker, ”Tan said.
With the swift approval of the proposed national budget for 2021, lawmakers have missed the opportunity to propose amendments to the General Appropriations Bill.
She said she was ready to suggest restoring the cuts made to the Health Department budget.
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