No suspension of lawmakers in pork barrel scam seen

House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II: No ground to suspend a member

MANILA, Philippines—The House of Representatives is also unlikely to suspend its members who may face complaints or charges in connection with the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam.

House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said the filing of a complaint in the Office of the Ombudsman was not a ground to suspend a member.

In such a case, Gonzales noted that the Ombudsman would still have to conduct a preliminary investigation to determine if there was enough reason to file charges in court.

Should the Ombudsman file a case in court against lawmakers and the court issue a suspension order while the case was being heard, Gonzales said the House would be guided by what is in the Constitution.

The Constitution states that the House, with the concurrence of two-thirds of all members, may suspend or expel a member.

Several lawmakers earlier took the position that only the Congress, and not the court, could suspend its members. This was in connection with an earlier move by the Ombudsman to have former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo suspended while facing corruption charges in the Sandiganbayan.

Gonzales also told reporters that it stated in the law that public officers could be suspended only for acts committed during their term. Public officers could not be suspended for acts committed before their present term, he added.

Senators and House members have been implicated in an alleged scam to pocket their pork barrel funds by channeling these to dubious nongovernment organizations for ghost projects.