Alvarez's daughter denies stealing House mace, dares critics to file case

Finance Assistant Secretary Paola Alvarez on Thursday denied that she stole the mace of the House of Representatives amid the infighting that saw her father, Davao del Norte Representative Pantaleon Alvarez, being removed as Speaker last July 23.

"Hindi ko po ninakaw 'yung mace, ok?" she said, in reaction to the accusation by netizens after her Instagram post showing her with the mace — the symbol of power of the House of Representatives — went viral.

Alvarez said the picture was taken at the House Speaker's office after President Rodrigo Duterte had already delivered his State of the Nation Address (SONA).

"Noong gabi na po 'yon. Tapos na 'yung lahat. Paalis na 'yung presidente."

Alvarez explained that when the House session was ongoing, she remained seated in the front row of the session hall.

"Kasi hindi ko naman puwedeng lapitan 'yon that time. At kahit tignan mo yung CCTV, nakaupo lang ako while nangyayari 'yung lahat ng gulo-gulo nila doon," she said.

But Alvarez joked that if she could, she would've hidden the mace at the National Treasury, which is not accessible to unauthorized persons, because she was embarrassed by what the lawmakers did.

"Kung puwede lang talaga na itago ko 'yon, itatago ko 'yon sa Treasury para lang 'di tayo mapahiya. Yung Pilipinas, 'di mapahiya. Siyempre, joke lang 'yon. It’s a form of speech," she said.

Alvarez said she felt embarrassed that the diplomatic community had to witness the fight over the speakership on the only day of the year reserved for the President’s SONA.

"Wala nang respeto 'yung Kongreso. I mean, wala naman po tayong issue na tanggalin niyo yung tatay ko. Wala naman po akong issue dun. Ang issue ko, binaboy niyo naman yung SONA," she said.

Alvarez said that instead of the President’s achievements, what was highlighted was "'yung kahulugan na ginawa nila. Hindi naman po yata tama yon."

When asked if her father is aware of her controversial picture, Alvarez said he did. "Sabi niya, di mo dapat pinost yon eh. Pero opinyon ko naman po yon," she said

Alvarez, a lawyer, also dared those who are saying she can be disbarred to file a case against her.

"Paano niyo po ako idi-disbar eh wala naman po tayong pruweba na ako ang gumawa noon. At saka yung pagiging abugado eh titulo naman po yon. Pero kahit naman tanggalin nila yung titulo, hindi naman po ako uma-appear sa court dahil ang trabaho ko ay sa Department of Finance... So sa akin po, wala naman po akong issue doon. Eh di mag-file po sila," she said

The silver lining in Alvarez’s cloud is that she is able to discuss the DOF’s push for the approval of the second package of the Tax Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN Law whenever she is asked about the issue with the House’s mace.
"Sana lang po, pag Ginoogle nyo, paki-Google din yung TRAIN. Kasi po yun po talaga 'yung agenda ko," she said.

Alvarez said the second TRAIN bill will benefit some 800,000 micro, small and medium enterprises as it seeks to lower corporate income tax. It also seeks to rationalize incentives being given by the government.

The DOF is still looking for senators to sponsor the bill. —KBK/RSJ, GMA News