The new leadership in the House of Representatives reminds members who want to criticize former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo or other peers to do it with proper decorum.

Otherwise, those abusing privilege hours to issue tirades with conduct unbecoming of a legislator will face sanctions, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte warned.

“If necessary, yes. (They can be sanctioned) if the majority thinks that lines have been crossed,” the House speaker said, referring to the cases that could be filed against solons before the House committee on ethics.

Belmonte said that ethics committee could suspend congressmen who will fail to watch their language when criticizing House members as it will be considered disrespect to the 15th Congress.

Lawmakers are entitled to address issues related to their advocacies to all members of Lower Congress on the plenary by delivering privilege speeches scheduled on Monday and Tuesday sessions.

“Privilege hour is really what it is. But there are also some rules with respect to decorum in the House and some people are willing to risk it. And when some people risk it, the mechanism of the House is there,” Belmonte said.

Last week, Caloocan City Rep. Toby Tiangco asked House officials to strike out some portions in the speech of Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello, who called the former president a role model of corruption and plunder.

Other solons, especially the allies of the former president in the majority bloc, considered filing an ethics complaint against Bello for privilege speech criticizing Arroyo.