TWO Cebuano names landed in national media yesterday:
[] Then congressman Serging Osmeña Jr. was mentioned in the Inquirer’s Sept. 13 column of Manuel L. Quezon III on the filing by Sen. Dick Gordon of an ethics complaint against Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.
The late Serging, Quezon wrote, was cited by Gordon as one of five examples of legislators suspended by either the House or the Senate.
Serging’s offense? In 1960, he delivered a privilege speech against then president Carlos P. Garcia (1957-1961). Could Trillanes be suspended? If Serging was sanctioned for his right to speak, Trillanes could be too. Unethical is what the majority sees as unethical.
[] Cebu City North Congressman Raul Del Mar was mentioned in the Inquirer news pages and in Interaksyon website for his “no” vote on the House’s move to reduce the budget of the Commission on Human Rights from P649.48 million to P1,000. A point del Mar raised that no one else did: the legislature couldn’t decide on the abolition of CHR, which only those who, voting on a future amendment of the Constitution, could do. But the House did, in an overwhelming vote, by simply shrinking its budget to that ridiculous amount.
Courage/cowardice
The House voting on the CHR budget the other day displayed the shifting of courage into cowardice by many House members.
When the viva voce vote was first made, clearly the nays had it, prompting many others to stand up to join the “no” voters. The presiding officer, however, ruled otherwise and said a headcount would be made instead. This time, it was easier to spot and record the voting. The tide turned and ayes won, 119-32. Of the 20 or so that Inquirer.net recorded as “no” voters, only one from Cebu (del Mar) was in the list.
The CHR chief, Jose Luis Martin Gascon, wept for joy over those who voted nay in the viva voce vote. Shouldn’t Chito have wept instead over the same people who shouted “no” but changed their vote during headcount?
Charges vs. Ahmed
While Senator Trillanes at the Senate hearing, in which Duterte’s son and son-in-law testified, did not mention details of LTFRB 7 Chief Ahmed Cuizon’s alleged corruption, the senator later gave some details in an interview with a Cebu radio station.
While Trillanes had immunity about the innuendo he made about Cuizon in the Senate halls, he must have lost that immunity for statements made outside Congress.
TIP US OFF. TELL US ABOUT IT.
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