THE HOUSE of Representatives promised to continue its committee investigations despite crucial budget hearings, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe said on Tuesday.
Among other important inquiries, investigations on extrajudicial killings (EJKs) related to the previous administration's anti-drug war and violence linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), will go on uninterrupted, he said in a press conference.
He said important House inquiries would not be halted even as the legislative body begins next week’s committee deliberations on the proposed PHP6.352-trillion national budget for 2025.
"Kinausap ako kahapon [Monday] ng ilang mga committee chairman natin na gumagawa ng mga (I was approached yesterday by some of our committee chairpersons who are conducting) hearings and they were asking guidance because usually in the previous years, we would hold all other hearings when the budget is presented to us and we would concentrate on the budget," Dalipe said.
He, however, said committee chairpersons had requested to continue their inquiries as they are now in the process of hearing important resource persons and gathering vital information to complete their investigations.
“Hinihingi po ng ating mga committee chairman na payagan po sila na ipagpatuloy iyong mga committee hearings. Dati po iyong problema natin iyong committee hearing rooms. Parati po tayong nauubusan ng committee hearing rooms pero (Our committee chairpersons are requesting that they be allowed to continue those committee hearings. Before, our problem was the [availability of] hearing rooms. We have always run out of committee hearing rooms then but) thank you, this year we have new spaces for committee hearings,” he said.
The hearings on EJKs are part of an ongoing effort to address allegations of human rights abuses during the anti-drug campaign of the Duterte administration.
The ongoing inquiry by the House Committee on Human Rights aims to uncover the extent of the EJKs and hold accountable those responsible for any human rights violations.
The joint inquiry of the House Committees on Public Order and Safety and on Games and Amusements into violence linked to POGOs focuses on addressing the increasing incidents of crime and violence associated with these operators.
Concerns have been raised about the involvement of POGOs in illegal activities, including money laundering and human trafficking, prompting the House to take action to ensure the safety and security of the public.
Following the directive from Speaker Martin Romualdez, additional spaces in the new building at the Batasang Pambansa Complex have been made available for committee use.
Dalipe said Secretary General Reginald Velasco had been instructed to make available the other spaces in the new building to the various committees conducting probes.
He said this arrangement allows for parallel hearings, ensuring that both budget deliberations and critical investigations continue without interruption.
“We will allocate the other rooms nearer to the Plenary Hall for budget briefing or budget deliberation and we will also reserve the other new spaces for those committees which have to continue with their investigation, especially dito po iyong ongoing tungkol sa drugs, tungkol doon sa POGO at mga iba pang (here into the ongoing [inquiry] about drugs, about POGO and other) important issues," he said.
Dalipe expressed optimism about managing both budget scrutiny and other legislative functions despite concerns about divided attention.
He said efficient time management would prevent wasted time for House members, who can attend other committee hearings and contribute to investigations while waiting for their turn during budget discussions. (Zaldy De Layola)
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