Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba (Facebook)

Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba, who had been slapped with a contempt order by a committee in the House of Representatives, was released by the chamber on Thursday night, Aug. 24 after showing solons that he was "apologetic". 

Thus, said ABANG LINGKOD Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano, who at the same time downplayed the effects of a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court (SC) against Mamba's detention by the House. 

Paduano chairs the Committee on Public Accounts, one of the House two panels that cited Mamba for contempt last Aug. 17 and ordered him detained in connection with an ongoing probe on the alleged illegal expenditures of the provincial government during the 2022 campaign period.  The other was the Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms. 

An official report from House Sergeant-at-Arms (SAA) Napoleon Taas lage night Thursday said that Mamba was "released from detention today at 9:11 p.m." and that it was "based on his statement of undertaking" 

"However, the committees’ order of contempt stays and shall automatically be lifted only upon receipt of a copy of withdrawal of the TRO filed by Gov Mamba with the Supreme Court," the report added. 

Paduano, in a chance interview after Mamba's release, shared details of the governor's undertakings that supposedly led to his release. 

"First, he apologize[d] [for] what happened in the past several hearings and months, in his comments and everything. He's so apologetic about it. Number two, he promised not anymore to talk about the House of Representatives outside of Congress," he said. 

Paduano said the governor also executed a sworn statement saying that the latter would withdraw his petition before the SC by Tuesday next week. 

"Dun na lang kami nag-base sa aming order to release him (We used that spurn statement as basis to release him), at the same time to lift the contempt order by Tuesday," he said. 

News of the existence of the TRO came out a fee hours after the House leadership acknowledged Mamba's "voluntary surrender" to the chamber on Thursday afternoon. It should be noted that the House and the SC are considered co-equal branches of the government. 

Asked if the issuance of the TRO had any effect at all on Mamba's release, Paduano said, "Ay hindi (No)." 

"The TRO, my office received it at 5:50 in the afternoon. While sa kay chairman Keith Flores, he received also at 5:53. But Governor Mamba was in the custody of the SAA at 9:02," he said. 

"As I've said to Mamba apologized, Mamba is so apologetic, he was released tonight based on his sworn affidavit," he further said. 

House committees can cite an invited resource person in contempt during public hearings when they think that he or she is being uncooperative. 

Paduano said that the joint panel hearings on the Cagayan government's alleged illegal expenditures last year as mentioned in House Resolution (HR) No.145 would still continue. 

"Initially I talked na to Chairman [Gamaliel] Cordoba of the COA (Commission on Audit), andaming dapat na ayusin dun sa auditing code natin especially that was part of the statement of the President during the SONA (State of the Nation Address). May mga issuances and memorandum circulars na dapat talagang i-ammend na. Kasi it really affects the implementation of particularly government spending," he said. 

(There are a lot that need to be fixed in our audition code, especially that was part of the statement of the President during the SONA. There are issuances and memorandum circulars that really have to be amended.)

In a joint hearing last Aug. 17, the two House panels cited Mamba for contempt on the following grounds: (1) refusal without legal excuse to obey summons, and (2) undue interference in the conduct of proceedings of the rules of the House.