AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee (left), Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo (Rep. Lee's office, Facebook)

Describing AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee's apology over the Sept. 25 plenary incident as "not genuine",  Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo told House reporters that an ethics complaint would indeed be filed against the aspiring senator on Wednesday, Oct. 9. 

"After this filing period [of certificates of candidacy]...ifa-file na po namin [yung ethics complaint]," said Rep. Quimbo, who accompanied her husband, Miro, in filing his COC for congressman. 

(We will file the ethics complaint after the filing period of certificates of candidacy.) 

The lady solon didn't say who will accompany her in filing the complaint, although her fellow female vice chairpersons of the Committee on Appropriations are expected to do so. Rep. Quimbo is the senior vice chairperson of the panel. 

Asked if Lee had apologized to her for his alleged actions, Rep. Quimbo answered rather uncomfortably: "Mayroon pong some kind of an apology pero parang sapilitan po. So parang hindi genuine." 

(There was some kind of apology but it seemed forced. So it didn't appear genuine.) 

"Ang basa ko hindi siya apology (I interpret it as a non-apology)," chimed in Miro 

When a reporter asked Rep. Quimbo if she believed that Rep. Lee tried to hit her ("inambaan"), Miro once again answered for her: "Oo, oo (Yes, yes)." 

In one video clip of the plenary proceedings on Sept. 25, a frightened Quimbo was seem "hiding" on one side of the podium from the furious AGRI Party-list solon.  

"Iniwasan ko po yung inakala ko pong parang (I avoided what I believe was like), I thought he was going to assault us. So yun ang nakita ko (So that's what I saw) that's why I ducked. So yun po (So that's it)," narrated Rep. Quimbo. 

Miro then cut short the questions on the ethics complaint so as not to preempt it. 

Wednesday is the last day of COC filing for the May 2025 polls. 

ALSO READ: 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/3/will-lee-still-get-ethics-complaint-after-apology 

BHW party-list Rep. Angelica Natasha Co, an appropriations panel vice chairperson, earlier told House reporters that Lee had personally apologized to her. 

Lee reportedly got angry at the appropriations panel vice chairpersons during the Sept. 25 House plenary session when he realized that he would no longer be given the opportunity to debate the sponsor of the 2025 budget of the Department of Health (DOH). 

The P6.352-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2025 was approved on third and final reading the same day. Congress began a six-week break after. 

Lee took on a pro-health care stance ahead of his filing for senatorial candidacy.