House to protect own image amid graft suspension of two solons
Solons of the minority bloc said there was an agreement among congressmen and women to protect the image and integrity of the House of Representatives as a body after two of its members were ordered suspended for graft by the Sandiganbayan.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr. said there was a consensus during the all party caucus, held Tuesday night called on by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, to protect the image of the House amid the suspension for graft of Pangasinan Rep. Amado Espino Jr. and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte.
READ: Alvarez calls for caucus meeting on lawmakers’ graft suspension
Garbin said some members even shared their experience of volunteering to serve the suspension before their cases were eventually dismissed by the Sandiganbayan.
“Yung ibang members (Other members), tumayo and shared their own experience and said they served their suspension, but they were acquitted from the cases filed,” Garbin said.
“Yung consensus yesterday was to promote the image and integrity of the House and avoid a collision with the judiciary,” he added.
For his part, minority leader Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez lamented that these members were suspended even though they were not facing heinous crimes like rape, murder or the illegal use or sale of drugs.
He advised Espino and Villafuerte to voluntarily serve the suspension order from October to December when Congress is usually on break.
“Kung ako sayo, kukunin ko October 1 kasi puro bakasyon yan eh. December halos konti ang nasa session day. October to November, break kami, tapos Christmas,” Suarez said.
(If I were you, I’ll [serve the suspension] in October because there are a lot of breaks there. December only has a few session days. From October to November, we’re on break, then comes Christmas.)
READ: CamSur Rep. Villafuerte suspended for 90 days over graft case
Villafuerte faces a graft trial over the allegedly anomalous procurement of P20 million worth of petroleum products for the provincial government when he was Camarines Sur governor in 2010.
Meanwhile, Espino was suspended for a graft charge for allegedly allowing firms to operate illegal black sand mining in the province when he was Pangasinan governor in 2011.
READ: Pangasinan Rep. Espino suspended for graft over black sand mining
After the meeting Tuesday night, majority leader Ilocos Norte Rep. Rudy Farinas told reporters the House in its history has never implemented a suspension order by the Sandiganbayan as it stood pat on its power to discipline its own members.
Farinas said it was only Speaker Jose De Venecia Jr. who was cited in contempt by the Sandiganbayan and ordered to pay a P10,000 fine when he refused to implement the suspension order of then Agusan Del Sur Rep. Ceferino S. Paredes, Jr. for graft in 1997.
Farinas said there is a clash in opinion between the anti-graft law and the 1987 Constitution about the suspension of members in Congress.
“The legislature has that power, but it only pertains to disorderly behavior of members. But this one is an independent action of the court enforcing the law. So talagang magka-clash yung opinion (So opinions are bound to clash),” Farinas said.
According to Section 13 of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, public officials charged with a valid information of graft will be preventively suspended from office and will lose his or her benefits at the time of his or her suspension.
Article VI, Section 16 of the 1987 Constitution states, “Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of all its Members, suspend or expel a Member. A penalty for suspension, when imposed, shall not exceed sixty days.”
“The historical practice is that the House has never implemented the suspension order because it stood pat on its power to suspend its own members,” Farinas said. CDG
