House Speaker Martin Romualdez (left), Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen "Caraps" Paduano (Facebook)

House Speaker Martin Romualdez has defended the actions of one of the more popular chairmen of the quad-committee (quad-comm) in Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen "Caraps" Paduano.

This, as Romualdez gave an impromptu address during the Office of the Speaker's Christmas party for House reporters on Monday, Dec. 16.

In attendance during the affair was Paduano, quad-comm co-chairman; Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, quad-comm overall chairman; as well as other ranking congressmen.

In his light-hearted speech, the House leader referred to Paduano as "Mr. Contempt", which amused those in attendance.

But Romualdez quickly added about the firebrand congressman: "He's just doing his job."

Since August, the quad-comm has held 13 marathon hearings on the alleged interconnected issues of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO), illegal drugs, money-laundering, and the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the previous Duterte administration's drug war. 

Paduano, a former House Minority Leader, has somewhat made a name for himself by usually being the one to cite uncooperative or downright lying resource persons for contempt. 

This resulted to the unlucky individuals' being held in detention at the House of Representatives or another security facility.

Among the personalities cited for contempt by Paduano during the course of the hearings were POGO personalities Alice Guo and Cassandra Ong, former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma, former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Wilkins Villanueva, and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Superintendent Gerardo Padilla.

The livestreamed hearings typically draw hundreds of thousands--if not millions--of viewers.