Tiangco pushes total House overhaul

MANILA, Philippines — Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco has pushed for a total overhaul of the House of Representatives leadership, following the implication of several lawmakers, including Speaker Martin Romualdez, in flood control project kickbacks.

In an interview, Tiangco said all the leadership positions in the House were given “because they are close to the Speaker.”

He admitted there are talks of House leadership change.

“If they want reforms in the House, it should be Albee (Bacolod City Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez) to be the Speaker,” Tiangco said. “Because he is part of the independent bloc.” 

Benitez and Tiangco did not vote for Romualdez, who was unopposed, during the selection of speakership for the 20th Congress.

“If you want reforms, you must get someone who did not support the leadership. That is very clear,” Tiangco said, but he admitted that it is still a numbers game for the speakership, and they are not making moves out of respect to the President.

Meanwhile, Rep. Francisco Barzaga has decided to part ways with the House supermajority coalition, as well as his membership in the National Unity Party (NUP), in the wake of the rumored leadership change.

“While the betrayal of trust is disappointing, I believe it is in the best interests of both myself and the NUP that we go our separate ways, I will also be leaving the majority since I voted for Speaker Romualdez due to my party’s instructions,” Barzaga said.

Contractor-couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya claimed that lawmakers got percentages of funds from flood-control projects, including Romualdez. The Speaker strongly debunked the allegations.

The alleged ouster move against Romualdez circulating around the House of Representatives is just a “hearsay,” House deputy speaker Rep. Paolo Ortega V said yesterday.

Ortega said some party leaders and members belonging to the House majority bloc claimed that they are receiving calls from people who are not identifying themselves, floating the alleged move to replace Romualdez as speaker of the 20th Congress.

“The House is one, the House is solid. There is no change in leadership,” Ortega said.

Release SALNs

Akbayan party-list Reps. Chel Diokno, Percival Cendaña, Dadah Kiram Ismula and Dinagat Island Rep. Arlene Bag-ao yesterday filed a House Resolution seeking to release in public the Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN) of all the 317 members of the House.

In filing HR 271, they said that in the interest of “transparency and accountability,” the secretary general of the House shall be directed to make the SALNs of all congressmen available to the public.

They seek to remove the effectivity of the Office of the Ombudsman’s Memorandum Circular No. 1, Series of 2020 which restricted public access to the SALNs on file with its office.

The lawmakers cited that Article XI, Section 1 of the Constitution declares that “(p)ublic office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice and lead modest lives.”

The filing of SALN by public officers and employees is provided under Article XI, Section 17 of the Constitution which states that they, “upon assumption of office and as often thereafter as may be required by law, submit a declaration under oath of their statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.”

“Republic Act No. 6713, otherwise known as the Code of Conduct and ethical standards for public officials and employees, expressly mandates SALNs must be made available for inspection at reasonable hours and for copying after 10 working days from the time they are filed, subject to prescribed regulations,” HR 271 read. — Jose Rodel Clapano