Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the House of Representatives cannot remain silent on “baseless” accusations against it over the Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) scam.
“We cannot speak away nor remain silent on the unremitting assaults to the integrity of this House and of its members, often without basis, in the wake of the PDAF controversy,” Belmonte said in his privilege speech as the chamber adjourned its first regular session under the 16th Congress.
But the scam should not sway legislators from their mandate as “representatives of our constituencies,” he added.
“This, our work in this first regular session, must and should speak eloquently for us as public servants, and as representatives of our constituencies to the best we can do,” Belmonte said.
The Speaker said only their performance as legislators would prove their “fidelity to our people’s trust.”
“We have two years remaining in this 16th Congress to continue to make our performance speak for us and for this House,” Belmonte said.
The Speaker had opposed moves for the House to start a probe on their own colleagues tagged in the scam, even as its Senate counterpart has concluded its own.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer published names of over 150 past and present representatives alleged to be involved in the scam according to the records of principal whistleblower Benhur Luy.
Meanwhile, the incumbent solons tagged in the list furnished by alleged mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles are: Pampanga Rep. Oscar Rodriguez, Cebu Rep. Gerald Gullas, Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla, Cebu City Rep. Raul Del Mar, Compostela Valley Rep. Rommel Amatong, Laguna Rep. Joaquin Chipeco Jr., Lanao Del Norte Rep. Abdullah Dimaporo, Abono party-list Rep. Conrado Estrella III, Bukidnon Rep. Florencio Flores, Masbate Rep. Scott Davies Lanete, An Waray Rep. Neil Benedict Montejo, La Union Rep. Victor Ortega, Abante Mindanao Rep. Maximo Rodriguez Jr., Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, and Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab.
The Ombudsman has already filed plunder charges against Senators Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce-Enrile, accused mastermind Napoles, and other personalities for their purported participation in the scam.
The pork barrel in the form of PDAF has been seen as a tool for political patronage and corruption.
The practice of allotting billions of public funds to lawmakers for them to ease poverty in their constituencies was struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional at the height of the investigation on the scam.
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