House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. (left) and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. (Photos from their Facebook accounts)
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. on Monday accused House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. of “bullying,” “threatening” and “cursing” him during a meeting before the supposed plenary debates on the proposed 2019 budget. But Andaya denied it.
“Tignan niyo sa mga nag-viral dati ‘yung ugali niya, lumabas kanina. Nanghamon siya. Lumapit siya sa akin. I was on the mic. I was calm,” Villafuerte told reporters.
[Look at his past viral behavior. It came out awhile ago. He was challenging me. He approached me. I was on the mic. I was calm.]
“Sinigawan niya ako. M nura niya ako. Nnaghamon siya. On record ‘yan nakita naman ng lahat ng kongresista,” he added.
[He shouted at me. He cursed me. He challenged me. That’s on record. The other House members saw that.]
Asked to explain Andaya’s behavior, Villafuerte said: “Eh palagi naman kasing pikon ‘yun eh.”
[He has always been touchy.]
“He’s running against my son eh [Miguel Luis]. Siguro alam niyang hindi siya mananalo. But my point is dapat wag nating dalhin ang local politics sa Congress. Kung may local fight dapat sa local lang,” he added.
[He’s running against my son. Maybe he knows he won’t win. But my point is we should not bring local politics to Congress. If it’s a local dispute, it should be kept local.]
In a separate briefing, Andaya denied Villafuerte’s allegations.
“Wala. Yung nangayri kanina usapang lalaki ‘yun. Hindi naman ako kiss and tell… Wala kaming hinahamon o binu-bully lalung-lalo na that the Speaker [former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo] was there,” he said.
[Nothing. What happened earlier was a man-to-man issue. I don’t kiss and tell. I neither challenged nor bulied anyone, especially considering that the Speaker was there.]
“It has nothing to do with local politics,” he added.
Earlier, Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles said the meeting was convened because Andaya wanted him to conduct another hearing and approve a committee report different from the one approved by his the appropriations committee, which Nograles chairs.
“There was a meeting, yeah, because they wanted me to conduct a committee hearing. They wanted me to approve another committee report,” Nograles told reporters, referring to a committee report which he refused to support.
Several lawmakers earlier said Nograles would be ousted.
Andaya denied ordering this. He said Nograles’ meeting was “unsanctioned.’ But he said it was Arroyo who presided at the meeting.
Several lawmakers earlier said Nograles would be ousted as the chair of the appropriations panel. Nograles has dismissed this.
The House adjourned its session at 4:45 p.m. and the plenary debates – scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Monday – did not push through. /atm