‘House united vs threats to members’

THE House of Representatives will act as one “to fight any threat or intimidation” against any of its members, regardless of his or her political affiliation, House Majority Leader Jose Manuel Dalipe said yesterday.

“We do not want that anybody would just issue a death threat to any senator or to any congressman, or even to the president of the Philippines, vice president of the Philippines.

Hindi po puwede,” Dalipe told a television interview. “I think the House will be united to stop all of these statements that are not really needed to be issued by any person,” he said.

The House Majority Leader was reacting to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s death threats against Rep. France Castro (PL, ACT) and members of the Makabayan bloc who is thinking about filing charges of grave threats against the ex-chief executive.

In defending request of Vice President Sara Duterte for confidential funds, the elder Duterte was quoted as saying that the confidential funds for the Department of Education (DepEd) requested by his daughter would be used for the reestablishment of the Reserve Officers Training Corps. (ROTC) and to fight off communist recruiters in the educational system.

The former president was also quoted as saying that he told his daughter that she should have been candid and told the Makabayan bloc that they are really the target of the confidential funds and that he wants to kill Castro and all groups he branded as communists.

“We do not want that anybody would just issue a death threat to any senator or to any congressman, or even to the president of the Philippines, vice president of the Philippines.

Hindi po puwede,” he said.

Dalipe likened the death threat to a bomb hoax at the airport, which is punishable by law:

“Parang pumupunta ka sa airport tapos sasabihin mo may dala-dala kang bomba na (It’s like you’re going to the airport and announce that you have a bomb with you and that) it’s just a joke. So the House takes that threat seriously.”

Castro, along with her Makabayan bloc colleagues, has been very vocal in criticizing the Vice President for her request for P650 million in confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) – P500 million for the Office of