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The House of Representatives under the leadership of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez will act as one to fight any threat or intimidation against any of its members, Majority Leader Jose Manuel Dalipe said.
In television interviews, Dalipe was asked specifically whether the chamber will support the charge of grave threats that ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro is determined to file against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“I think the House will be united to stop all of these statements that are not really needed to be issued by any person,” the Majority Leader said.
“We do not want that anybody would just issue a death threat to any senator or to any congressman, or even to the president of the Philippines, vice president of the Philippines. Hindi po puwede (that cannot be),” the Zamboanga 2nd District lawmaker added.
Dalipe also said the Commission on Audit (COA) has formally attested to the chamber’s clean audit standing, contradicting any allegations put forward by former President Duterte.
He cited a COA certification dated October 2, 2023, which confirmed that as of September 30, 2023, the House has no notices of suspension, disallowance, or charge.
Furthermore, underscoring the House’s financial health, the COA report published last July 6 highlighted that the House had a budget surplus of P4.69 billion in its 2022 allocations.
“Everything that needs to be submitted by the House of Representatives, everything that needs to be liquidated, is done, the House of Representatives reports to the Commission on Audit,” Dalipe said.
His statement was in reply to allegations by former President Duterte suggesting that Congress was not being subjected to COA audits.
In the interview, Dalipe made it clear that such claims are unfounded and that the House is held to the same rigorous auditing standards as any government agency.
He said the CoA audit process has been extended to all 312 House members, with no suspensions, disallowances, or notices of charge found.
Duterte – a former congressman himself for Davao City — had previously issued a challenge to COA, urging it to disclose the utilization of public funds by members of Congress in previous years.
He said that the House members were saddened by the statements made by the former president, all while pondering the timing of these remarks.
When asked about the motivations behind Duterte’s remarks concerning Congress, Dalipe indicated that they might be tied to amendments in the 2024 national budget and the redistribution of funds.
Dalipe explained that this reallocation was not confined solely to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education, both of which are headed by the former president’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.
He noted that several government departments, including the Department of Agriculture, which is led by no less than President Marcos, and the Department of Foreign Affairs, experienced modifications.
Earlier, Vice President Duterte-Carpio told Congress: “We can live without confidential funds.”
— Maricel Cruz
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