Amihan season could not come sooner in the Philippines, where hot-headed politicians have come to the boil over the past week.
Exhibit A is the Manila City Council, which approved the city’s proposed P25-billion annual budget for the coming fiscal year — but only after several city lawmakers nearly exchanged blows.
During the council’s Tuesday regular session, 4th District Councilor Joel Villanueva, a political rival of the current Manila City administration under Mayor Honey Lacuna, raised a question about why the city’s annual budget was suddenly included in the session’s agenda without going through budget and committee hearings.
“There have been no hearings where department heads face the councilors to answer questions like what they do in Congress,” Villaneuva said in an interview over ABS-CBN news.
Shouting and shoving started after 6th District Councilor Salvador Philip Lacuna, brother of the Mayor, confronted Villanueva.
6th District Councilor Benny Fog Abante was reportedly seen pushing someone during the confrontation, but Villanueva defended the former, saying that he was only trying to keep things from turning violent. Another opposition councilor, Luis Uy, reportedly exchanged words during the confrontation, which ignited heated debates with other city councilors.
House ouster
Meanwhile, SAGIP party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta was stripped of his membership from five “juicy” House committees.
During the Wednesday night plenary session, the Lower Chamber, presided by Rep. Vincent Franco Frasco of Cebu, announced Marcoleta’s ouster from several committees as a member.
Deputy Majority Leader Iloilo City Rep. Jam Baronda stood in plenary to nominate Manila Teachers party-list Rep. Virginia Lacson to the Commission on Appointments (CA) and the Committees on Energy, Justice, Public Accounts, and Constitutional Amendments.
Baronda said that Lacson would be entering these committees “vice” Marcoleta, in other words, to take over the lawmaker’s spot in the said panels. Marcoleta was also removed as Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability barely a week ago.
Marcoleta is one of the few legislators who defended Vice President Sara Duterte during the recently concluded deliberations on the P6.352-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2025. He has yet to respond to the media’s request for comments on the issue.
Mic drop
The above ouster is neither the first nor the last scuffle at the House, where Agri party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee also grabbed a microphone right from Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Northern Samar 1st District Rep. Paul Daza in the middle of discussions on the proposed 2025 budget.
This took place during the end of Wednesday’s interpellations for the Department of Health (DOH) budget.
Although Daza was moving to terminate deliberations lacking any questions from Minority lawmakers, Lee attempted to interrupt him by taking one of the microphones at the plenary.
“Mr. Speaker, having no more members of the Minority…” Daza was saying before he was interrupted by Lee.
“No, Mr. Speaker, Madam Sponsor, no…Is this what’s happening to us now? No, Mr. Speaker, let me question the quorum, Mr. Speaker, let me question the quorum,” Lee proceeded to say in a mix of English and Filipino.
Friends again
At the Senate, Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Juan Miguel Zubiri hugged and made up after a fiery exchange of words over an insertion in the agenda which the Bukidnon lawmaker questioned as improper.
“Perhaps, I have been with Senator Zubiri since 1998. So maybe we are entitled to one heated argument, which is tonight,” said Cayetano
The next day Zubiri said that they have already “kiss(ed) and ma(de) up.”
“I’m a stickler for rules. Old school, as they say. Actually rules and traditions are what keep us from fighting. Without that, we will all be neanderthals and we will hit each other in the head with clubs,” he said.
