Snide remarks and “careless language” should not distract the House Committee on Justice from performing its constitutional duty to hear impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, Manila Rep. Joel Chua said Monday.
Chua, who chairs the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said ridicule is no substitute for reason and does not address issues of constitutional accountability.
He backed an earlier rebuke by San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora against Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Olaso, whose remarks dismissing the impeachment process as “kalokohan” (nonsense) and “bugok” (rotten/stupid) drew criticism for lowering public discourse on a matter of national importance.
“Hindi naman ito huntahan sa plaza, o sagutan ng mga tsismoso sa kanto (This is not something to be hunted down in the plaza, or answered by gossipers on the street corner). This is an impeachment proceeding,” Chua said.
“If Mayor Olaso wants to attack the process, then he should do so with law, with reason and with facts, not with language that cheapens the discussion and insults the public’s intelligence.”
A lawyer by profession, Chua said the issue with Olaso’s remarks goes beyond tone, pointing to what he described as an attempt to reduce a constitutional process into a spectacle.
“The House Committee on Justice is not acting on a whim, and it is certainly not acting for amusement. We are carrying out a constitutional mandate. No mayor, no former lawmaker and no partisan voice can wish that duty away just because the process makes them uncomfortable,” he said.
Chua added that Olaso — a former congressman — should understand that the House can legislate while carrying out its constitutional responsibilities, including impeachment proceedings.
“Kung dating mambabatas ka, mas dapat alam mo na hindi puwedeng bastusin ang proseso kapag Saligang Batas na ang pinag-uusapan. Hindi ito kalokohan. Ang kalokohan ay iyong minamaliit mo ang tungkulin ng Kongreso para lang makapuntos ka sa pulitika,” he said.
(If you were a former legislator, you should know better that you cannot abuse the process when the Constitution is at stake. This is not nonsense. What is nonsense is when you belittle the role of Congress just to score political points.)
Chua said harsh rhetoric may generate attention online but does not address the issues raised in the impeachment complaints, particularly as the House panel determines probable cause and prepares for possible next steps under the Constitution.
“Public office demands discipline in language, especially when the subject is impeachment. What Mayor Olaso offered was not serious criticism. Parang show lang ito eh, showbiz talk show. And the Filipino people deserve better than officials who confuse mockery with argument,” Chua said.
Chua said the panel would respond not with rhetoric but by continuing its work based on evidence, due process and adherence to rules.
“We will stay focused on the evidence, on due process and on the constitutional task before us. The House justice panel will not be thrown off course by cheap shots from the gallery. What will matter in the end is the record, the law and the truth,” he said.
Chua added he would no longer respond to Olaso’s remarks, which he described as an attempt to draw attention.
“Nakapagpapansin naman na si Mayor Olaso kaya sana naintindihan na niya ang constitutional mandate ng House members ngayon kaya dinidinig natin ang impeachment,” Chua said.
(Mayor Olaso wants attention, so I hope he has understood the constitutional mandate of House members, which is why we are hearing the impeachment.)
