House Deputy Speaker Yasser Balindong of Lanao del Sur on Friday called on Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong to publicly apologize to the Moro people for describing the planned House investigation into flood control projects as a “Moro-Moro.”
Balindong said that while differences of opinion are welcome in a democracy, they should never come at the expense of cultural dignity and historical truth.
“Mayor Magalong may raise his concerns, but to use ‘Moro-Moro’ as shorthand for sham or deception is unacceptable,” Balindong, a veteran legislator, said in a statement.
“The term is not harmless. It carries with it a legacy of distortion and vilification of the Moro people. To trivialize that history is deeply offensive,” he added.
Balindong noted that Moro-Moro, a stage play from the Spanish colonial period, was historically used to demean Muslims.
“For us Moros, it is more than a word—it is a reminder of centuries of prejudice,” Balindong stressed.
“To invoke it in this context is to disparage not just the House inquiry, but our people as well,” he continued.
The Deputy Speaker called on Magalong to show humility by retracting his statement.
“As a leader, he is expected to exercise discernment and respect,” Balindong pointed out. “An apology is necessary—not only to the House, but to the Moro people whose heritage was maligned.”
Balindong also emphasized that the House probe is still in its preliminary stages, warning that casting aspersions this early undermines the credibility of a process meant to uphold accountability.
A Tri-Committee—composed of the Committees on Public Accounts, Good Government and Public Accountability, and Public Works and Highways—was recently formed to lead the inquiry into the P545-billion flood control program.
Although the Tri-Comm has not yet started its formal hearings, the Committee on Public Accounts has already been briefed in detail by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on the matter.
Balindong defended the integrity of the process, stressing that it is being carried out “with transparency, fairness, and accountability.”
“The House is not engaged in theatrics. It is fulfilling its constitutional duty to ensure that public funds are spent properly,” he said.
“To call it a charade demeans the institution of Congress and does a disservice to the Filipino people,” Balindong added.
