House committee chair says sorry to Duterte over suspension of hearing on Lopez loans

Diwa Party-list Representative Michael Edgar Aglipay on Wednesday apologized to President Rodrigo Duterte over the suspension of the House inquiry on the loans of the Lopez Group of Companies with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). 

Aglipay is the chairperson of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability. The said panel resumed on Wednesday the inquiry into the loans of the Lopez Group of Companies with the DBP. 

Aglipay stressed that the House hearing was "never terminated, only suspended." 

"Mr. President, I am sincerely sorry and may I humbly request for your forgiveness for the inconvenience that we may have caused you by reasons of these hearings," Aglipay said during the resumption of the Congressional hearing. 

"It was never the intention of this Committee to stop hearing this most important matter. Instead, the Committee meeting was only suspended in view of the pending submission of documents by the resource persons," Aglipay added. 

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The House hearing on the soured loans of the Lopez Group was suspended last January 18 because resource persons have yet to submit necessary documents. 

To hasten the submission of documents, the committee issued subpeona duces tecum to the resource persons, according to Aglipay. 

Aglipay further pointed out that the allegations that House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and the said committee were protectors of the Lopezes "are nothing but absolute lies made with malicious intent."

"Mr. President, it is most unfortunate that you may have been misinformed by people who wish to bring down Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and this Committee," Aglipay said.

"Rest assured Mr. President, these are the farthest from the truth because the Speaker and this committee are for the Filipino people. It is my most humble request Mr. President, for you not to believe these allegations," he added. —KG, GMA News