House Speaker Martin Romualdez gave a thumbs up Tuesday afternoon, March 7 to the House Committee on Agriculture and Food's decision to cite three people in contempt in connection with the panel's inquiry on agricultural hoarding.
“I am in full support of the decision of the Committee on Agriculture,” said Romualdez, who was the one who ordered the investigation in aid of legislation amid the recent skyrocketing of onion prices.
“We expect every resource person invited to tell the truth. No more, no less. I advise those who are invited to the hearings: Magsabi lang po kayo ng totoo. Kung lolokohin lang ninyo ang committee, sa detention center ang bagsak ninyo (Just tell the truth. If you're just going to lie to the committee, then you'll end up in the detention center),” he warned.
Cited in contempt by the Quezon 1st district Wilfrido Mark Enverga-led panel earlier Tuesday were Argo Trading President Efren Zoleta Jr., operations manager John Patrick Sevilla, and lawyer John Ryan Cruz.
Of the three, only Sevilla was present at the committee hearing. This was the first time that invited resource persons were penalized this way under the Romualdez speakership.
“Malinaw ang layunin namin nang simulan ang mga hearings na ito. Kailangang maipababa ang presyo ng sibuyas sa lalong madaling panahon. Kailangang makilala kung sino ang bumubuo ng kartel na nagmamanipula ng presyo ng bilihin. Kailangang buwagin ang mga kartel na ito na nagpapahirap sa bayan (Our aim was clear when we started these hearings. Onion prices had to be brought down as soon as possible. We need to unmask the cartel that has been manipulating prices of goods. These cartels are a burden to the people and they must be eradicated,” he said.
The Speaker stressed that he and the House leadership would “not allow anyone to make a mockery of the hearings now being conducted by the Committee on Agriculture".