Solons across party lines hit plan to probe Robredo: No competition in helping out

Lawmakers across party lines on Thursday hit the proposal of an official of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) for the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe Vice President Leni Robredo over her office's relief efforts that supposedly compete with those of the national government amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation.

In a statement, ACT-CIS party-list Representative Niña Taduran said that helping out in times of crisis is not a competition, and a public official who starts a campaign to help people in need should not be punished.

"Hindi naman kumpetisyon ang pagtulong. Sa dami ng nangangailangan, mas mabuti kung marami rin ang nagtutulong-tulong para masuportahan ang pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan," Taduran said.

"This is a national emergency, we can’t afford to delay all the help we can give to somehow prevent chaos from setting in,” he added.

PACC Commissioner Manuelito Luna said he wanted a probe of Robredo’s “illegal solicitations, actions that compete with, or calculated to undermine national government efforts in this time of public health emergency or national calamity.”

But Magdalo party-list Representative Manuel Cabochan said Luna's suggestion is "utterly ridiculous" especially that the country is in the middle of a public health crisis.

"It is disappointing that those who are performing their duties are being attacked, while there are many government officials who were not even seen by their constituents since this crisis started," he said.

"Instead of targeting the Vice President, maybe the administration could take her practices as models to improve their work and bring the best service to the people," he said.

Kabayan party-list Representative Ron Salo added that the PACC has no jurisdiction over Robredo as she is not a presidential appointee, so Luna's recommendation to NBI "has no probative value."

If this was the case, then Salo said officers and members of the Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc. "are also at risk of getting criminally charged with NBI for our own donation drive."

Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate, on the other hand, said Luna's suggestion is nothing short of harassment of Robredo similar to what the NBI is doing to Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto.

"This and the other baseless investigations by the NBI are not only meant to harass and criminalize dissent, but more importantly, these are calculated squid tactics to divert the attention of our suffering people from the administration's still incoherent, incompetent, callous and inadequate, but mostly fascistic, responses to the COVID-19 crisis," he said.

For his part, Ako Bicol party-list Representative Alfredo Garbin Jr. said Luna's recommendation "smacks of bad faith and reeks of insensitivity to plight of the ordinary Filipinos, the doctors and nurses and other frontliners."

"Magtulungan tayo bilang isang bansa, bilang kapwa Pilipino. Hindi porke kalabang partido ay pipigilan mo tumulong. Hindi ito kompetensya bagkos bayanihan ito para sa ikabubuti nating lahat," he said.

"We heal as one nga di ba?" he added.

Kabataan party-list Representative Sarah Elago, meanwhile, said that what is needed now is to be of help to save lives.

"The government, the administration rather, should not take this as a competition and should not busy themselves going after their political rivals. Please do not use the COVID-19 crisis to persecute your political rivals and curtail the democratic rights of the people," she said.

PACC Commissioner and spokesperson Greco Belgica clarified the call issued by Luna was only a personal opinion and does not reflect the stand of the anti-corruption body.

“PACC is not asking anyone to investigate VP Leni Robredo for helping frontliners and the needy. On the other hand, we are thankful to everyone who are helping including the VP,” Belgica said.

“This is not the time for politicking. We are not concerned with any personality.  Our main concern is to make sure all the needy Filipinos get all the help they need the President promised.” —LDF, GMA News