Lawmakers defend JDV in House ethics probe
MANILA, Philippines - Lawmakers on Tuesday crossed party lines in defense of ousted House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., who is under threat of expulsion from the House following his statements last year that some congressmen were bribed to endorse a "bogus" impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2007.
During the hearing of the House committee on ethics, congressmen from progressive party-list group Bayan Muna, the Nationalist People's Coalition, (NPC) and Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) gave varying reasons why De Venecia should not be sanctioned for issuing such statements.
De Venecia had said during the hearings on the impeachment complaint against the President in November that some congressmen were bribed to endorse the impeachment complaint filed against her by lawyer Roberto Rafael Pulido the year before.
Agusan del Norte Rep. Edilmiro Amante made a privilege speech in November 25 last year seeking De Venecia's expulsion from the House after the former Speaker's statements. The speech was referred to the Ethics committee and treated as a complaint.
Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño said the committee should first probe whether there was truth to De Venecia's statements before considering sanctions against the lawmaker from Pangasinan's fourth district.
"Shouldn't we first establish whether indeed there is truth to that allegation before saying that the (former) Speaker violated our rules?" Casiño said.
"I don't want us to punish former Speaker de Venecia for telling the truth, if indeed that is the truth," Casiño added.
NPC member and Zamboanga del Sur Rep. Antonio Cerilles said he believed De Venecia's statements - uttered during the Justice committee's hearings on the impeachment complaint filed by Joey de Venecia III and other civil society leaders in late 2008 - fall under privileged communication.
"Congressman Jose de Venecia said all these things in a committee hearing in which there is still a privileged communication," Cerilles said, as he added that there appeared to be no malice in De Venecia's statements because the former Speaker also said that corruption exists in the Senate, in local government units and even among businessmen.
Citing transcripts of the Justice committee hearings, Cerilles also said De Venecia's statements likewise appeared to be based on newspaper reports.
"It's very clear here that former Speaker De Venecia is referring to what was written in newspaper articles. So this is not a first hand information," Cerilles said.
Unflattering statements
Meanwhile, Paranaque City Rep. Eduardo Zialcita - a member of Lakas-CMD - said De Venecia should not be censured for merely making "unflattering" statements about the House because everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion.
"The overriding principle as far as I'm concerned is can a congressman say what he wants to say regardless of feelings and certain sensitivities that he may be trampling upon? I still say that every congressman can still say what he wants to say," Zialcita said.
Calling Amante's move to sanction the former Speaker "premature," Zialcita said censuring De Venecia would "send the wrong signal" that Congress is out to control what people want to say.
"If you wanna say horse shit, say it," said Zialcita. "Am I gonna get censured for saying horse shit?"
But Amante stood firm in his complaint, citing House rules saying that a member of the House can be suspended or expelled for "disorderly behavior" and maintaining that De Venecia's statements "cast aspersions" on the House as an institution.
"What he said was very grave not only to my person, not only to the members of the House, but to the institution as well," Amante said.
"In a sense he said we are not operating on principles, but that we are operating because of the principal," he added.
After committee members voted that Amante's complaint falls under the jurisdiction of the committee, panel chair and Romblon Rep. Eleandro Jesus Madrona said De Venecia will be told to submit his response to Amante's complaint within 10 days of his receipt of official communication from the committee.
The committee likewise said it will request Occidental Mindoro Rep. Ma. Amelita Villarosa to clarify her claim that she was misquoted in news reports as admitting that some House members were given "cash gifts" in 2007. - Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV
During the hearing of the House committee on ethics, congressmen from progressive party-list group Bayan Muna, the Nationalist People's Coalition, (NPC) and Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) gave varying reasons why De Venecia should not be sanctioned for issuing such statements.
De Venecia had said during the hearings on the impeachment complaint against the President in November that some congressmen were bribed to endorse the impeachment complaint filed against her by lawyer Roberto Rafael Pulido the year before.
Agusan del Norte Rep. Edilmiro Amante made a privilege speech in November 25 last year seeking De Venecia's expulsion from the House after the former Speaker's statements. The speech was referred to the Ethics committee and treated as a complaint.
Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño said the committee should first probe whether there was truth to De Venecia's statements before considering sanctions against the lawmaker from Pangasinan's fourth district.
"Shouldn't we first establish whether indeed there is truth to that allegation before saying that the (former) Speaker violated our rules?" Casiño said.
"I don't want us to punish former Speaker de Venecia for telling the truth, if indeed that is the truth," Casiño added.
NPC member and Zamboanga del Sur Rep. Antonio Cerilles said he believed De Venecia's statements - uttered during the Justice committee's hearings on the impeachment complaint filed by Joey de Venecia III and other civil society leaders in late 2008 - fall under privileged communication.
"Congressman Jose de Venecia said all these things in a committee hearing in which there is still a privileged communication," Cerilles said, as he added that there appeared to be no malice in De Venecia's statements because the former Speaker also said that corruption exists in the Senate, in local government units and even among businessmen.
Citing transcripts of the Justice committee hearings, Cerilles also said De Venecia's statements likewise appeared to be based on newspaper reports.
"It's very clear here that former Speaker De Venecia is referring to what was written in newspaper articles. So this is not a first hand information," Cerilles said.
Unflattering statements
Meanwhile, Paranaque City Rep. Eduardo Zialcita - a member of Lakas-CMD - said De Venecia should not be censured for merely making "unflattering" statements about the House because everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion.
"The overriding principle as far as I'm concerned is can a congressman say what he wants to say regardless of feelings and certain sensitivities that he may be trampling upon? I still say that every congressman can still say what he wants to say," Zialcita said.
Calling Amante's move to sanction the former Speaker "premature," Zialcita said censuring De Venecia would "send the wrong signal" that Congress is out to control what people want to say.
"If you wanna say horse shit, say it," said Zialcita. "Am I gonna get censured for saying horse shit?"
But Amante stood firm in his complaint, citing House rules saying that a member of the House can be suspended or expelled for "disorderly behavior" and maintaining that De Venecia's statements "cast aspersions" on the House as an institution.
"What he said was very grave not only to my person, not only to the members of the House, but to the institution as well," Amante said.
"In a sense he said we are not operating on principles, but that we are operating because of the principal," he added.
After committee members voted that Amante's complaint falls under the jurisdiction of the committee, panel chair and Romblon Rep. Eleandro Jesus Madrona said De Venecia will be told to submit his response to Amante's complaint within 10 days of his receipt of official communication from the committee.
The committee likewise said it will request Occidental Mindoro Rep. Ma. Amelita Villarosa to clarify her claim that she was misquoted in news reports as admitting that some House members were given "cash gifts" in 2007. - Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV
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