Contact Details

Rm. N-411, House of Representatives, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
+63 2 931 5497, +63 2 931 5001 local 7370

Press Statements

Repressive and regressive legislation and policies stunt sustainable socio-economic development.

The Duterte administration’s irrepressible campaign to reimpose the death penalty, reduce the age of criminal responsibility, delete libertarian safeguards in the Human Security Act, revive the Anti-Subversion Law and liberalize wire-tapping are counterproductive roadblocks to human development.

There must be a rights-based approach to legislation and policymaking for development to prosper and flourish.

In the News

With President Duterte again making a push in his State of the Nation Address for the reinstatement of the death penalty, dutiful noises are being heard from his claque in Congress. The Senate looms as the battleground, the House of Representatives having earlier approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 4727, which seeks to impose capital punishment on drug convicts.

Certain new senators, apart from the President’s longtime allies in the chamber such as Manny Pacquiao, are expectedly taking an ovine stance in relation to his fresh push.

Imee Marcos, for example, now expresses openness to capital punishment after having worked for its abolition way back when she was a member of the House. But she displays a curious squeamishness at what she considers brutal methods like hanging — “Diyos ko, huwag… Sobrang lupit naman nun…” — as though the “lupit” of torture, killings and disappearances were not hallmarks of her father’s long martial rule, and as though state murder were not in fact an act of high brutality no matter what method is employed.

On the other hand, Bato “Shit happens” dela Rosa can’t be bothered by seeming niceties, gleefully proposing what he thinks drug dealers should have coming: “Deterrence talaga yan… Firing squad natin sa Luneta. Tingnan natin kung maghakot sila ng shabu dito sa ‘tin.”

Press Statements

I cast a “no vote” for Speaker because I have opted to remain with the independent opposition.

Moreover, both candidates for Speaker, including the projected runner-up and presumptive minority leader, are the identical sides of the same supermajority coin.

Although the dogma is that there should be no idolatrous adherence to precedents, the unfortunate fact is that precedents die hard, including those which are blatant aberrations like the majority choosing the minority leader.

Press Statements

The recent unfounded charges against Vice President Leni Robredo, critical bishops and vocal opposition leaders for sedition and other crimes give much more impetus to the Liberal Party (LP) members in the House to stand together as the genuine opposition and minority bloc.

The LP Representatives should not only be the real and responsible critics of the administration but must be the undaunted sentinels to safeguard the people’s fundamental rights.

Press Statements

Considering that the members of the supermajority coalition are allied with President Rodrigo Duterte, the possibility of a coup from allies to subvert the President’s anointment of presumptive Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano is nil.

The ouster of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez was different. It was not a coup but a mutiny of a disgruntled crew orchestrated by an external force.