Agri Partylist Representative Wilbert Lee speaks before the House panel on appropriations budget hearing on the 2025 proposed budget of the Department of Health on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. (Screenshot from Youtube/House of Representatives)
MANILA, Philippines — BHW party-list Rep. Angelica Natasha Co has asked the House of Representatives committee on ethics and privileges to investigate Agri party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee’s actions during the deliberations on the proposed budget for 2025.
In a briefing on Wednesday, Co relayed what transpired last September 25 before the public saw Lee take the microphone from Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Northern Samar 1st District Rep. Paul Daza at the end of plenary debates on the proposed budget of the Department of Health (DOH).
READ: Tensions flare at House as Lee grabs mic from Daza during budget talks
According to Co, Lee “aggressively” came up to her and House appropriations panel senior vice chair and Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo, allegedly demanding that he be allowed to speak or else he would stage a commotion.
“It was actually before that, a little before that happened. What the cameras did not catch was Cong. Wilbert Lee approached me furiously and I was in the middle of an interpellation. I was the budget sponsor of DOH and its attached agencies, and before that happened, he approached us coming from the back… And then when he approached furiously, he pointed fingers at us,” Co said.
“And he then said that if he will not be allowed to speak, he will cause a commotion, to which Cong. Stella, I heard her respond to Cong Wilbert saying, ‘why are you mad at us? We’re just sponsors, meaning to say we’re just sponsors here, meaning to say, we do not have the power to allow anyone to talk or to refrain from talking’,” she added.
According to Co, Quimbo even ducked behind the podium out of fear that Lee might “assault” her.
“He was very, very near us already that we feared his presence. In fact, Cong. Stella went around me and she ducked behind the podium. It was not seen on camera because what can be seen in the camera was like maybe half of me, just my face. So what was happening on my right hand side cannot be seen,” Co said.
“He was very near me to the point that even I was not sure if I will run because he was very near us. I do not know if he will assault Cong. Stella, and so we were very bothered…I do not know where his anger came from,” she added.
Co also said she fainted after the incident.
“That’s why I’m even more adamant about filing at the committee on ethics because we felt that we were not safe in the workplace. So that’s why we are pushing for filing at the committee on ethics,” she explained.
“While the Speaker was speaking in front already, it was I think an hour after what happened, I was seated in the lounge and trying to calm myself down. I stood to listen to the speaker and then while he was speaking, I fainted, possibly due to stress. It was the first time that it happened to me in the plenary. I’m actually a very calm person. My colleagues would know that and would attest to that and I’m actually very jolly,” she added.
Lee grabbed headlines last September 25 as tensions flared at the plenary after he took the microphone from Daza, who was moving to terminate the deliberations as no minority lawmaker wanted to ask questions.
Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin proceeded with the motion to terminate the deliberations on the DOH budget, asking Deputy Speaker Duke Frasco to rule on the motion.
At 6:37 p.m. on September 25, Quimbo, standing behind Co, was seen talking to someone. After two minutes, Co and lawmakers, including Pangasinan 4th District Rep. Christopher de Venecia, comforted Quimbo who seemed to be crying.
Co clarified that they were crying not due to deliberations being over, but because of Lee’s actions.
A separate video meanwhile — which appeared to be taken from inside the House plenary on the same date — is making rounds online, showing Quimbo ducking behind the podium.
The same movement from Quimbo can be seen during the House livestream, at the 6:30 p.m. mark of the session.
The videos circulating on social media, however, were criticizing Quimbo over another issue.
A formal complaint against Lee before the House ethics panel has not been filed, but Co said that she is just verifying details of the incident with Quimbo before submitting it.
According to Co, she and her family were shocked after the incident as Lee is a family friend. The lady solon also claimed that Lee did not attempt to apologize to her — instead, she claimed that some videos of the incident were spliced to create another message.
“I was with Cong. Stella and Cong. Toff de Venezia. Nothing. I was actually waiting because to be honest, he’s a family friend so I did not see that coming from him, that he will do that to me because we were on good terms and I have no enemies in Congress,” Co said.
“And coming from him pa, so we were very shocked, my parents were very shocked with what happened. That’s why I was expecting an apology from him if not in person, at least via text message but that did not happen. And after that, there were splicing of videos to create a very different narrative,” she added.
Last Friday, Garin explained that tensions flared up at the House plenary debates as lawmakers were engaged in intense debates.
She also said Lee’s actions were not a rude act but emotions taking over lawmakers.
READ: Garin on tense budget talks: Just lawmakers intensely debating
On Tuesday, Lee was the first among senatorial aspirants in the 2025 midterm elections who filed their certificates of candidacy before the Commission on Elections. Dozens of Lee’s followers, carrying banners and placards, flocked to the front of Manila Hotel to show their support for the lawmaker.
READ: Rep. Wilbert Lee first to file Senate candidacy