‘Nothing personal on transfer of confidential funds’

BY WENDELL VIGILIA

SPEAKER Martin Romualdez yesterday defended the House of Representatives from what he said were threats and intimidation from “a dissatisfied few whose only intention is to sow divisiveness… just to get their own way.”

“Tatayo ako laban sa sinuman na mananakot sa atin para masunod lamang ang gusto nila (I will stand up against anyone who will threaten us just to get their own way),” he said in a speech at the resumption of the plenary session. “Wala pong personalan dito. Trabaho lang (There’s nothing personal here. It’s just work).”

Romualdez said that since he was elected Speaker, “it has always been this leadership’s rallying point to pursue unity and ensure a fair and equitable distribution of government resources for the development of our regions, regardless of political affiliations.”

“I emphasized then that the politics of division has no place in this chamber; this still holds to this day, only now I reiterate this with a stronger resolve and greater conviction,” he said.

He added: “But let it be said, never must we countenance or allow others not so likely-minded individuals who choose to malign or put down the image of this institution and dictate the direction we must go. I urge everyone to rally behind our true moral compass – the will of the Filipino people.”

Romualdez made the remarks in response to the death threats made by former president Rodrigo Duterte last month against members of the Makabayan bloc, particularly Rep. France Castro (PL, ACT) as he defended the request of his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, for a total of P650 million in confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

The House of Representatives has realigned some P1.23 billion in confidential funds from several government agencies to efforts to boost security in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). Among the agencies that were stripped of confidential funds under the House-approved version of the proposed P5.268 trillion national budget are the OVP (P500 million) and the DepEd (P150 million).

The elder Duterte was quoted as saying in an interview that the confidential funds for the DepEd requested by