Speaker rejects ouster moves vs. House members
Published Oct 5, 2018 03:46 pm
By Ben Rosario
Former president and now Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has reportedly decided to reject moves seeking to unseat partylist congressmen as a result of intra-party controversies, thus, saving ABS Partylist Rep. Eugene De Vera from being ousted as House member.
House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (Jansen Romero/ MANILA BULLETIN)
This developed as the so-called People’s Minority headed by Marikina City Rep. Romero Quimbo on Friday petitioned the Supreme Court to nullify the recognition of Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez as minority leader.
In a meeting with the House Partylist Coalition headed by Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Rodel Batocabe, the House leadership has agreed to act only on the ouster of a sitting member upon a final and executory decision of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal.
Batocabe said any House member may also be removed upon the recommendation of the House Committee on Ethics which should be affirmed by a 2/3 vote of the Lower House.
Batocabe said the House leadership assured the coalition that these instances will only be the bases for triggering a move to remove any sitting congressman from house membership.
He said the decision of Arroyo and other key House officials will, in effect, cause the abandonment of the requests of ABS Partylist president Baby Pizarro to remove De Vera and the acceptance of his replacement as the ABS Partylist nominee to the Lower House.
On Monday night, House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. initiated a motion to remove De Vera but this was blocked by LPGMA Partylist Rep. Arnel Ty who questioned quorum.
Ty said they were expecting similar motions to be aired again on the floor as soon as a quorum is constituted during a plenary session.
However, Batocabe said congressmen, particularly partylist lawmakers, will no longer have to worry about being removed unless on orders of HRET or in compliance to the House disciplinary rules.
“We are thankful that they (House leadership) listened to us and upheld the rule of law. Otherwise, all House members can be removed through a mere letter questioning their qualifications,” he said.
Ty said De Vera’s troubles started when he filed an SC petition questioning Suarez ’s recognition as minority leader.
“By removing De Vera, the court petition will weaken, if not dismissed totally because the petitioner is no longer a congressman,” said Ty.
Meanwhile, Quimbo, who leads one of the four minority factions in the Lower House, filed before the High Court a Petition for Certiorari, Prohibition and Mandamus assailing the recognition of Suarez as minority leader.
“Judging from the previous case of Baguilat v. Alvarez which also dealt with the issue of House Minority leadership, it is likely this case will take months to resolve, possibly close to the end of our current terms. Nonetheless, we are committed to pursuing this if only to ensure that our institutions remain bound by law and logic,” Quimbo said.
It will be recalled that Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat has filed a similar petition in 2016 questioning Suarez for being recognized by the Lower House as minority leader despite the fact that he voted for the eventual winner in the speakership race, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez.
Baguilat said that under the House rules, Suarez was considered a member of the majority bloc and cannot lead the minority because he voted for Alvarez.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Asst. Minority Leader and Coop-Nattco partylist Rep. Anthony Bravo said the minority bloc is confident the High Court will issue the same decision when it dismissed Baguilat’s petition.
House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (Jansen Romero/ MANILA BULLETIN)
This developed as the so-called People’s Minority headed by Marikina City Rep. Romero Quimbo on Friday petitioned the Supreme Court to nullify the recognition of Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez as minority leader.
In a meeting with the House Partylist Coalition headed by Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Rodel Batocabe, the House leadership has agreed to act only on the ouster of a sitting member upon a final and executory decision of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal.
Batocabe said any House member may also be removed upon the recommendation of the House Committee on Ethics which should be affirmed by a 2/3 vote of the Lower House.
Batocabe said the House leadership assured the coalition that these instances will only be the bases for triggering a move to remove any sitting congressman from house membership.
He said the decision of Arroyo and other key House officials will, in effect, cause the abandonment of the requests of ABS Partylist president Baby Pizarro to remove De Vera and the acceptance of his replacement as the ABS Partylist nominee to the Lower House.
On Monday night, House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. initiated a motion to remove De Vera but this was blocked by LPGMA Partylist Rep. Arnel Ty who questioned quorum.
Ty said they were expecting similar motions to be aired again on the floor as soon as a quorum is constituted during a plenary session.
However, Batocabe said congressmen, particularly partylist lawmakers, will no longer have to worry about being removed unless on orders of HRET or in compliance to the House disciplinary rules.
“We are thankful that they (House leadership) listened to us and upheld the rule of law. Otherwise, all House members can be removed through a mere letter questioning their qualifications,” he said.
Ty said De Vera’s troubles started when he filed an SC petition questioning Suarez ’s recognition as minority leader.
“By removing De Vera, the court petition will weaken, if not dismissed totally because the petitioner is no longer a congressman,” said Ty.
Meanwhile, Quimbo, who leads one of the four minority factions in the Lower House, filed before the High Court a Petition for Certiorari, Prohibition and Mandamus assailing the recognition of Suarez as minority leader.
“Judging from the previous case of Baguilat v. Alvarez which also dealt with the issue of House Minority leadership, it is likely this case will take months to resolve, possibly close to the end of our current terms. Nonetheless, we are committed to pursuing this if only to ensure that our institutions remain bound by law and logic,” Quimbo said.
It will be recalled that Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat has filed a similar petition in 2016 questioning Suarez for being recognized by the Lower House as minority leader despite the fact that he voted for the eventual winner in the speakership race, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez.
Baguilat said that under the House rules, Suarez was considered a member of the majority bloc and cannot lead the minority because he voted for Alvarez.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Asst. Minority Leader and Coop-Nattco partylist Rep. Anthony Bravo said the minority bloc is confident the High Court will issue the same decision when it dismissed Baguilat’s petition.