Pulong's allegations against House Justice panel 'anticipated,' says chair Luistro

"Negative" things including Davao City Representative Paolo "Pulong" Duterte's allegations against  members of the House Committee on Justice are to be expected as the impeachment process against his sister Vice President Sara Duterte continues, the committee's chairperson said Thursday.

"In as far as I am concerned, wala po tayong na-experience na ganyan [we have not experienced anything like that]. So we deny the statement of Congressman Pulong in as far as we are concerned," Justice committee chair Representative Gerville Luistro of Batangas said in an online interview, in response to Duterte's claim that calls were being made to committee members that they must vote in favor of the impeachment complaints or else lose the budget for their districts.

Asked about the timing of the allegation, which was posted on the congressman's Facebook page on the day the House Committee on Justice voted that there was probable cause to impeach, Luistro replied, "Anticipated 'yan na they will be commenting a lot of negative things against this impeachment process, especially that the Justice Committee was able to establish probable cause with respect to the two impeachment complaints against the Vice President."

House Deputy Speaker Albee Benitez, ex-officio member of the House Committee on Justice, likewise denied the allegation.

"Well, ngayon ko lang naririnig yan. Sa akin, actually, wala. Wala akong natanggap, wala akong narinig, walang nagsabi sa akin ng ganyan. In fact, ang nirereklamo namin is ang bagal ng labas ng pera sa national government dahil hanggang ngayon, I heard, underspending pa tayo ng P200 billion," Benitez said in a separate online interview.

(Well, I'm only hearing of that now. For me, nothing. I have not received anything or heard anything, nobody has said anything about that to me. In fact, our complaint is that the release of funds from the government has been slow because until now, I heard, we have been underspending by P200 billion.)

Benitez also recalled a phone call he received one time he stepped out of a hearing of the House Committee on Justice, but this was just to remind him to return to the hearing.

"Yung mga ibang congressman, pumupunta sa lounge, nag-iikot sa mga opisina nila tapos babalik sa impeachment proceedings kung kailangan. So I think baka yung sinasabing nagtatawag, I remember na tinawagan ako dahil lumabas ako sandali, para bumalik. Pero yon lang yon, para bumalik. Hindi naman tumawag yun para pagsabihan kung anong gagawin doon sa hearing," he said.

(Some of the congressmen, they would go to the lounge, they would go around to their offices then go back to the impeachment proceedings if needed. So I think that's what they meant by calls. I remember someone called me to come back because I went out for a short while. But it was just that, to come back. Not to tell me what to do in the hearing.)

Benitez's partymate in the president's party Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, House Committee on Justice member Representative Lordan Suan of Cagayan de Oro, also said he did not receive any such call.

"Wala namang na-receive na call yung chief of staff ko. Tapos ako personally, wala akong na-receive na call regarding that," Suan said in a separate online interview today.

(My chief of staff hasn't received any call. And I personally have not received a call regarding that.)

Suan believes the allegation will not affect the integrity of the voting in the committee yesterday.

"I don't think it will cast doubt on the independence of each congressman because it's just an allegation and there's no proof regarding that. And I personally have not received any calls or any of my staff," he said.

Benitez and Suan voted yes in the determination of probable cause in the impeachment complaints against the vice president.

But another member of the House Committee on Justice revealed there is another kind of pressure weighing on the members of the House.

"Ang naririnig ko siyempre ‘yung pressure, lalong-lalo na doon sa ibang mga lugar na alam natin medyo bailiwick. Hindi naman kino-consider dito ‘yung mga tawag-tawag. Ang tinitingnan dito, kung ano ang lakas ng mga Duterte doon sa mga lugar nila," Representative Joel Chua of Manila said in an interview today on Super Radyo dzBB.

(What I have been hearing is the pressure, especially in the areas that we know are bailiwicks. Calls are not considered here but the strength of the Dutertes in their areas.)

"Wala naman pong tumatawag sa chief of staff ko... Wala. Alam nyo, ‘yung mga alegasyon na ‘yan, noong 19th Congress pa. Noong 19th Congress, maleta naman ang iniisyu sa amin. Kung ano-anong mga iniisyu. Eh hindi naman po yan ang isyu rito. Ang isyu rito: sagutin ninyo, harapin ninyo ang allegations sa inyo," Chua added.

(Nobody has made a call to my chief of staff. You know, those allegations have been around since the 19th Congress. In the 19th Congress, 'suitcases' were the issue being used against us. That's not the issue here. The issue is: answer and face the allegations.) — BM, GMA News