Militant lawmakers shrug off looming ethics complaint after Sona protest

MILITANT lawmakers who made a scene in front of President Benigno Aquino III during the latter’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday has shruged off the possible ethics complaint to be filed against them.

Kabataan Party-list Representative Terry Riddon said the demonstration staged by militant lawmakers was an exercise of their constitutional right.

“The issues we raised were issues vital for the Filipino people; concerns that were blatantly absent from the President’s speech,” Ridon said.

Ridon said that he and fellow lawmakers from the so-called Makabayan bloc have their “solemn obligation” as representatives of the poor and the marginalized sectors to speak truth to power.

After Aquino’s more than two-hour speech, Ridon and seven other lawmakers held placards in the plenary hall of the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City with the inscription “pork barrel king,” “tuta ng Kano,” “mapangaping asendero,” “human rights violator,” and “serbisyo palpak.”

Ridon said there is no rule that mandates lawmakers to applaud the Chief Executive “profusely”.

“Hindi naman po yata tamang palakpakan lang ang pwedeng itugon sa Pangulo, hindi po ba? This is why it is only just to speak truth to power, even if everyone else would rather sit pretty and applaud,” the lawmaker said.

Ridon said that all the issues they raised after Aquino concluded his speech were relevant matters, which the President preferred to “sweep under the rug.”

Anak Pawis Party-list Representative Fernando Hicap said that their latest action against Aquino is “justified” since his last Sona “is pure lies and contempt of the real situation of the Filipino basic masses.”

Hicap said that Aquino is attempting to showcase that farmers are satisfied with electrification projects when the reality is that Filipino farmers have been fighting and dying for their rights to land for many decades.

“The group stressed that agrarian reform remained a non-issue which is supposed to be a fundamental topic as the country is obviously an agrarian society,” said Hicap.

Quezon City Representative Winston Castelo said they would confer with the House leadership about the possible sanction against some members.

“We respect their rights to express their grievances. But there are other ways to do it without resorting to unparliamentary behaviour,” said Castelo.

“The act is totally outside accepted legislative behavior that warrants an investigation by the Ethics Committee. Their pattern of action should be look into to avoid recurrence of it in the future,” Castelo added.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said Monday he who was embarrassed for the President due to the action of his colleagues.