Roque pits human rights lawyer versus ‘Salo lackey,’ denies bullying rap

Human rights lawyer Romel Bagares/PHOTO from his Facebbok

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque has anointed human rights lawyer Romel Bagares to be his successor in the House of Representatives, while denying that he bullied Kabayan party-list into going with his choice.

In a statement, Roque denied the claim of fellow Kabayan Rep. Ron Salo on Monday that the former’s “camp” threatened former secretary-general Victor Caguimbal over the phone.

Salo claimed on Monday morning that Roque’s camp “threatened to use his influence, and the power and resources of his office as Presidential Spokesperson, to obstruct the proclamation” of lawyer Ciriaco Calalang as the new Kabayan Party-list representative.

In response, Roque said on Monday afternoon: “I never called nor did I authorize anyone to call on my behalf Salo’s camp to threaten Calalang.”

Calalang, whom Roque described as “Salo’s lackey,” was the third nominee in the list submitted to the Commission on Elections, which usually makes him the next in the line of succession after Roque and Salo.

Salo claimed Bagares, Roque’s chief-of-staff, was not even a member of the party-list.

This Roque denied, claiming that Bagares can replace him because he was accepted as a member on Feb. 11 and “nominated” as representative on Oct. 28 in two separate Party Congresses.

In a carefully-worded statement, Roque hinted that “the party can” bring about continuity in legislative agenda “with my Chief of Staff,” after he left the House for the Palace.

But, Salo maintained that Calalang is Roque’s legal successor under the Party-list Law and that the group would “abide by the rule of law, not by the rules of Roque that only serves his personal interests.”

“Roque’s obtrusive plan to cling on to his congressional seat through his dummy Bagares, makes us wonder why is he very much interested in the congressional seat when the podium he holds there at Malacañang is clearly a more powerful position?” Salo said.

“Kabayan Party-list refuses to and will not be bullied by Harry Roque,” he added.

Salo notably refused to recognize the legality of the Party Congress, and cited instead the nomination of Calalang and two others by a Board of Trustees. Roque, in turn, discredited the said body which expelled him from the party in January.

Bagares did not reply to the Inquirer’s requests for comment.

As the first and second nominees, Roque and Salo occupied the two seats won by the group in the May 2016 elections.

But, the two have bickered since December after a “board of trustees” backed by Salo began investigating Roque for his sexually-charged inquiry into the love life of Senator Leila de Lima.

In turn, Roque brought up Salo’s alleged involvement in the controversial P3.8-billion license plate deal under the Aquino administration, as corporate secretary of the supplier.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Oct. 27 announced his selection of Roque, a human rights lawyer prior to his election, as his spokesperson “because we both have naughty mouths.”