Tiangco dares Gonzales to personally file complaint in House ethics committee

MANILA, Philippines—Navotas Representative Tobias Tiangco on Tuesday challenged House majority floor leader Neptali Gonzales II to file a complaint if he indeed committed a violation by voluntarily testifying in the impeachment trial on Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“Congressman Boyet [Gonzales], kung sa tingin mo ay may violation ako, i-file mo na sa ethics [committee] bukas, huwag mo na hintayin na may magfile [na iba] (If you think I committed a violation, file it in the ethics committee tomorrow, don’t wait for others to file it ahead of you),” he said, explaining that the supposed “friendly reminder” on sanctions that he may face for defying the House of Representatives from Gonzales was in fact a “stern warning.”

Expulsion from the House was a warning and did not sound like a “friendly reminder” at all, he told reporters. “Sinasabi niya sa akin pwede akong ma-expel. Siya ang dapat na ma-expel. He is threatening the witness [and] that is a cause for disbarment.”

“Ground for expulsion ba ang magsabi ng katotohanan? The House of Representatives has to stand on truth. We can’t survive on lies. Executive sessions are confidential pero ang caucus, iba yun,” added Tiangco. He said that Gonzales should also volunteer to testify in the trial “panumpaan niya ang mga sinasabi niya.”

Asked whether he was approached by the defense panel before he volunteered to testify in the impeachment trial, the Navotas representative said “kinausap nila ako.”