Two House deputy speakers went at each other's throats Monday as they took sides in a Ozamis City demolition operation about which they exchange charges of corruption.
In a privilege speech, Deputy Speaker Henry Oaminal (NUP, Misamis Occidental) chided Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta (SAGIP Partylist) for allegedly “lawyering” for a Ozamis City family that have blocked the implementation of a housing project jointly initiated by the city government and the Department of Public Workss.
Oaminal’s Monday tirade was his retaliation to Marcoleta’s call last week to have him investigated by the Committee on Ethics for alleged involvement in an illegal demolition in his district last year.
In his privilege speech last week, Marcoleta said Oaminal and his son, Mayor Sancho Fernando Oaminal, stood to gain personally from the multi-million peso housing project that will, however, displace a family who have legal title to a property where their house stands.
Taking yesterday’s privilege hour as his time to “set the records straight” and apparently to return fire, Oaminal said it should be Marcoleta who should face an ethics probe for interfering in a controversy involving his constituents and happening within the jurisdiction of his congressional district.
Oaminal stressed that last year’s demolition of houses in Barangay Lam-An was made with the approval of the current occupants of the land where the housing project will be developed.
He said the DPWH allocated an initial P50 million for the project while the city government shared P15 million in additional funds.
However, completion of the project was being delayed by the Nery family who occupied a 284-square meter lot in the project site.
Oaminal accused Marcoleta of “lawyering” for the family, adding that the partylist solon had on several occasions pressured the DPWH and the Department of Interior and Local Government, including the Philippine National Police, from extending assistance in the execution of a court order issued Judge Michael Ahoc of the Regional Trial Court of Misamis Occidental.
“He even called for the deferment of the PNP and DILG budget last year. Isn’t this act of Deputy Speaker Marcoleta an exercise of grave abuse of power?,” the Misamis Occidental solon said.
Oaminal said Marcoleta should also be subjected to ethics investigation for insinuating that he is the contractor of the project.
Marcoleta requested for an interpellation of Oaminal but the latter declined, pointing out that the partylist solon already had been given his time to air his stand last week.
Marcoleta questioned the legality of the demolition order which was issued and set for execution while the country is facing the threat of the COVID 19 pandemic.
The partylist solon pointed out that the Nery family have a valid title to the property where their property stood.
He explained that under the law, properties that are small cannot be subjected to expropriation.
“How can you put up a housing project over an area that is owned privately. This violatates Republic Act 7279,” said Marcoleta, referring to the law that exempts small lands from expropriation.
“I told Oaminal to observe due process. Hindi naman komo may writ of possession ay meron na kayo title sa lupa. (Having a writ of possession does not mean you have title to the land),” he added.