Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)

DAVAO CITY — Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua, who was recently appointed as the head of the House of Representatives panel that oversees the misuse of public funds, said he still has no clue as to what issue his panel would investigate first.

“Kahapon ko lang na-meet ‘yung [committee] secretariat so wala pa naman kaming masyadong napag-uusapan except nagpakilala pa lang sila sa akin. It’s only kwentuhan pa lang,” Chua said during an ambush interview here on Thursday, Sep. 5.

(I just met the committee secretariat yesterday so we haven't talked about much except they just introduced themselves to me. It's only chitchat.)

“So, anytime baka upuan ko talaga kung ano ba ‘yung mga pending o may mga agendang dapat isalang agad,” he added.

(So, anytime maybe I can sit down to see what are pending or if there are agendas that need to be addressed immediately.)

On Tuesday, Chua was appointed as the chairperson of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.

He replaced San Jose del Monte Rep. Florida Robes, who was elected to head the House Committee on Housing and Urban Development.

Robes succeeded the position of former Negros Occidental 3rd district Rep. Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez—who was recently appointed by President Marcos to be the Director General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

“Nagulat nga rin ako eh no’ng in-offer sa akin ‘yun (I was surprised when that was offered to me),” Chua told reporters about his new position in the lower chamber. 

Chua's appointment followed his swearing in as a Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) member. Lakas-CMD is the dominant party in the House.  

The lawmaker has also hurled strong criticisms on Vice President Sara Duterte.

Duterte is currently being hounded by several allegations of public funds misuse. One of these is the controversial spending of P125 million in confidential funds during an 11-day period in 2022, which some lawmakers have firmly flagged.

When asked if this issue will be tackled by his panel, Chua said he would rather not preempt such suggestions.

“Baka mamaya wala namang isasalang tapos nagsasalita ako dito,” he noted.

(Maybe I should not talk about it since there is still nothing to be tackled.)

“Hintayin na lang natin…pag may mga ganoon syempre aaksyunan natin. Wala naman tayong choice except to act on it dahil part ito ng trabaho natin,” the lawmaker said.

(Let's just wait...if there are such things, of course we will take action. We have no choice except to act on it because it is part of our job.)

Preemptive measures?

Following allegations from lawmakers, as well as the reported irregularities found by the Commission on Audit (COA), Vice President Duterte strongly rejected the notion that she misused public funds.

In a statement, she urged her critics to “work first before playing politics”.

Given that Duterte is insisting that she has a clean record in using public funds, Chua stressed that she should clarify the issue before the House Committee on Appropriations.

“Kasi pagka umiiwas ka, hindi mo naman sinasagot, hindi mo naman pinapaliwanag nang maayos, magkakaroon ng duda. Hindi lang kami pati ‘yung taongbayan,” the congressman said.

(Because if you avoid it, you don't answer, you don't explain properly, there will be doubt. It’s not just from us, but from our countrymen as well.)

“Pero kung nasasagot naman ito nang maayos, napapaliwanag naman sa amin, at sa tingin naman namin katanggap-tanggap ang paliwanag, wala namang problema. Hindi naman tayo dito para mamersonal,” he added.

(But if it is answered properly, it is explained to us, and we think the explanation is acceptable, there is no problem. We are not here to get personal.)