Home Speaker Martin Romualdez (File photograph from the official web site of Home of Representatives)
MANILA, Philippines — Home committee on legislative franchises has been directed to analyze Sonshine Media Community Worldwide (SMNI).
The order comes, after SMNI’s hosts in a program supposedly aired deceptive data towards Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
In a privilege speech throughout Tuesday’s session, Quezon 2nd District Consultant David Suarez mentioned he was in a position to watch an SMNI program the place hosts claimed Romualdez spent P1.8 billion in only a yr for his travels.
Home Secretary Normal Reginald Velasco beforehand disputed these claims.
He mentioned the stories are categorically false and a mere ‘faux information.’
However Suarez believes the committee ought to use its oversight perform over the matter.
“Within the spirit of transparency and accountability, I humbly request this august chamber to direct the committee on legislative franchises, within the train of its inherent oversight perform, to analyze this matter instantly and different comparable measures pending with the committee, together with this private and collective privilege,” Suarez informed his colleagues.
A couple of minutes after Suarez’ speech, lawmakers within the majority moved to direct Home committee on legislative franchises to start out the probe on Thursday.
Deputy Speaker Yasser Alonto Balindong accepted the movement, as not one of the lawmakers current objected.
“Latest stories circulating a few P1.8 billion journey fund allotted to Speaker Martin Romualdez are utterly unfounded and categorically false,” Velasco mentioned earlier in a press release.
“These allegations are a transparent instance of faux information, designed to mislead the general public and tarnish the popularity of the Speaker and all the Home of Representatives as an establishment,” he added.
“We urge the general public and the media to train warning and confirm information earlier than sharing such baseless claims,” he famous.
“The Home of Representatives is dedicated to transparency and accountability, and the Workplace of the Secretary-Normal can affirm that such bloated quantity for the Speaker’s journey bills doesn’t exist,” he mentioned.
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Velasco didn’t point out which program or what media firm aired the report.
However on SMNI’s ‘Laban Kasama ng Bayan’ program, host and self-proclaimed former insurgent Jeffrey Celis claimed Romualdez had incurred a P1.8 billion journey expense for only one yr.
