Militant solons ready to face sanctions over Sona walkout

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Makabayan bloc is ready to face sanctions for walking out of the session hall before President Aquino delivered his State of the Nation Address (Sona) before Congress on Monday.

Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Neri Colmenares, also a senior minority floorleader, said in an emailed statement that the walkout was aimed at “highlight(ing) the fact that the real state of the nation will not be heard in Congress during Sona but outside with the Filipino people.”

Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo has urged the House ethics committee to look into the walkout, which involved Colmenares and six more party-list lawmakers.

“No one can stop Congressman Castelo from feeling that a walkout is disrespectful to President Aquino but we hope that he would also join us in condemning the usurpation of our congressional power over the budget committed by President Aquino,” Colmenares said.

“We as representatives of the people are asserting their call for transparency and accountability. If our colleagues want to sanction us for that, then so be it,” he said.

Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares. INQUIRER.net/HOTARU NIITSU

Colmenares also hinted that the “symbolic” walkout was not an act of disrespect because it was “done not in the middle of President Aquino’s state of the nation but before he started his speech.”

He said they decided not to listen to what the President had to say because they knew his statements were not truthful.

“The genuine state of the nation is that the Filipino people continue to live in poverty, millions are unemployed, and prices are spiraling beyond the reach of poor Filipinos and not the rosy picture that President Aquino painted during his Sona,” Colmenares said.

He said contrary to what the President said in his Sona, there was a prevailing “huge” backlog in classrooms. Even the supposed speedy relief and rescue in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) did not take place.

“The victims of calamities have yet to see the rehabilitation that President Aquino described in his Sona,” Colmenares said.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said they have been protesting against President Aquino’s usurpation of the power of Congress.

He said the President’s act was evident when he violated the General Appropriations Act (GAA) by realigning at least P144 billion through the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

Colmenares said this “practically charges Congress of passing the wrong budget that required presidential correction.” he said.

“We as members of Congress are just asserting our call for members of Congress to at least defend the budget law we passed and that it is time for Congress to take back the power of the purse,” Colmenares added.