Is Congress prioritizing VP Sara trial over calamity response? Deputy speakers say no

Vice President Sara Duterte (left), floods (Facebook, Unsplash)

House Deputy Speakers La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V and Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin defended Congress on Monday, Aug. 10 from criticisms that it was prioritizing Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial over response to problems caused by heavy rains and floods.

Ortega, in an interview with reporters, said Congress was tending to both matters “equally”.

“Equally pinagtutunan po naman ang pansin yan. Yung executive side naman po nakatututok po sa problem, sa mas malalaking implementation at kailangan tutukan,” he said. (Equal attention is given to that. The executive side focuses on the problem, on larger implementation, and what needs to be prioritized).

“Kami naman po on the legislative side, siyempre kung ano po maitutulong namin sa executive, sa implementation, tutulong po kami with legislative measures namin,” noted Ortega.

According to him, seeing through Duterte’s impeachment trial is the lawmakers’ constitutional mandate, and that it must be carried out along with their other functions,

“As of now, siyempre may ongoing po tayo na impeachment. Bago naman po nagkaroon po ng calamity…na-anticipate naman po natin yan every year, yung rainy season. Pero kailangan po ma-[resolve] yung impeachment kasi this is an accountability measure, Constitution po yung sinusunod na,” said the “Young Guns” bloc member. (As of now, of course we have ongoing impeachment. Even before the calamity…we anticipated the rainy season every year. But the impeachment must be resolved because this is an accountability measure, and it follows the Constitution).

The House of Representatives is acting as the prosecutor in Duterte’s impeachment trial, while the other legislative chamber, the Senate, serves as the court.

For her part, Garin rejected claims that the House had prioritized the impeachment proceedings over the needs of communities affected by the inclement weather.

She said Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and Majority Leader Sandro Marcos have maintained daily coordination with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Health (DOH).

“For the past several days, hindi lang po ngayon, day-to-day ang coordination ni Speaker Bojie Dy at Majority Leader Sandro Marcos,” Garin said. (For the past several days, not just today, Speaker Bojie Dy and Majority Leader Sandro Marcos have been coordinating day‑to‑day).

She credited the DSWD for placing relief supplies closer to communities before the flooding instead of keeping all stocks in regional offices.

“Ang DSWD, talagang maganda ang kanilang prepositioning. Wala lang sa regional offices ’yung kanilang mga food box, hygiene kits and family kits, pero ito ay nakalagay na sa maraming bayan-bayan.Patuloy ang pag-distribute ng food box, lalong-lalo na sa evacuation centers,” she added. (The DSWD has done well in its prepositioning. The food boxes, hygiene kits, and family kits are not only in regional offices but already placed in many towns. The distribution of food boxes continues, especially in evacuation centers).

2027 budget process

Garin said the House leadership was monitoring the response to identify immediate gaps and determine which programs may require additional funding in the upcoming 2027 budget process.

“Nakatutok lang doon ang liderato ng Kongreso para makita namin, papasok ang budget season, kung ano ba ’yung kailangang i-augment at paano mas maging efficient,” she said. (Congress leadership is focused on this to see, as the budget season approaches, what needs to be augmented and how to make it more efficient).

The Marcos administration’s proposed P7.2-trillion budget for next year–as laid out in its 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) — is set to begin submitted to the House tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 11.

She identified agency quick response funds and the restoration of essential services—including clean water, power lines, roads and small bridges—as matters Congress could examine.

“On the part of Congress, patuloy naming imo-monitor kung saan ang pangangailangan, ano ’yung immediate needs at paano ito matutugunan using our oversight powers,” Garin said. (On the part of Congress, we will continue to monitor where the needs are, what the immediate requirements are, and how these can be addressed using our oversight powers).

“Hindi puwedeng mahinto ’yung usapin ng accountability kasi it’s part of our constitutional duty,” she further said. (Accountability discussions cannot stop because it’s part of our constitutional duty). — Ellson Quismorio