Roque still seeking ouster of party mate from House

Incoming Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque (File photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Although he’s set to step down as Kabayan party-list representative, incoming presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Wednesday vowed to pursue his bid to expel his party mate Rep. Ron Salo from the House of Representatives.

Roque urged the House ethics committee to immediately resolve his six complaints against Salo for multiple violations of the chamber’s code of conduct arising from their infighting.

“Even if I cease to be a representative, Salo’s acts against me were committed when I was still a member of the House and prove that he is unfit to stay in Congress,” he said in a statement.

Salo called on Roque to “move on and assume his new role without past baggage to be able to fully perform his new functions.’’

“It is unfortunate that even after he has assumed what should be a responsible position, he has elected to continue his combative, ungentlemanly, and irresponsible behavior,” he said in a statement.

Roque’s complaints stemmed from Salo’s alleged use of government resources to malign him and attempt to remove him from the party-list group as an indirect way of ousting him from the House.

Salo, he alleged, also conspired with Kabayan officers to oust him from the party-list group.

Roque accused Salo of committing technical malversation of government resources when he disseminated a press release, titled “Harry Roque Slapped with Disbarment Case for Spreading Lies and Malicious Accusations vs Fellow Representative.”

Salo’s disclosure of his filing of a disbarment complaint against him with the Supreme Court also violated its confidential nature, Roque said.

Roque claimed that it was Salo who was evicted from the party-list group by its “voting delegates” in the party congress.

Salo has a pending ethics complaint against Roque seeking his colleague’s expulsion from the House for allegedly besmirching his reputation in a privilege speech.