From left to right: Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong (PPAB, Facebook)

Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong and Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon worked like a tag team on Monday, Feb. 12 in response to Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva's disparaging comments about congressmen like them. 

To continue the professional wrestling metaphor, Villanueva cut a promo on the Senate floor earlier this month wherein he declared that House members or congressmen simply cannot be compared to senators. 

Villanueva says the lowest-ranked senator in the elections receive around 15 million votes, compared to district congressmen who receive mere thousands of votes. It's like comparing apples and oranges, he said. 

Adiong, in a privilege speech Monday afternoon, said of Villanueva: "I cannot accept that a statesman such as himself would hold such a myopic and tyrannical view of the legislative branch. We are all equal public servants and only the people are superior to us." 

He further described the senator's comments as "not only careless but fundamentally disrespectful" to the legislature. 

“Parliamentary courtesy is the cornerstone of our proceedings. It is through this courtesy that we engage in respectful debates, recognizing the value each member brings to the table,” stressed Adiong. 

After the privilege speech, Bongalon managed to get a few heavy punches in as he stood up to interpellate Adiong.

HAVE YOU READ THIS? 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/2/7/ranking-solons-respond-to-villanueva-s-who-is-he-jab-vs-house-counterpart-dalipe 

"I couldn't understand why Senator Joel Villanueva could make such disappointing statements against members of the House of Representatives, particularly the members of the party-list, when he himself, Mr. Speaker, was once a member of this chamber as a party-list representative," he said. 

Bongalon then brought up a ghost from the Senate majority leader's past: "It is already a public knowledge that Ms. Janet Lim-Napoles is a businesswoman who is convicted for plunder and the one who masterminded the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) scam." 

"Now, Mr. Speaker, distinguished colleague, may I know what is the involvement of Senator Joel Villanueva in the PDAF scam?" the party-list solon asked Adiong. 

"Well, to put it in a nutshell, Mr. Speaker," Adiong said, "There was an allegation that our good senator when, he was, I guess, still serving as a congressman. There was a case which was implying his office, that he was involved in the PDAF scam. That is actually the case. 

"I believe there was already a decision that was made about the case. I think the defense of the good Senator [was] that his signature was forged. That's the primary defense that he argued before the courts, Mr. Speaker," recalled the Mindanaoan. 

"My understanding is there [is] no case filed against the forging of the signature," added Adiong. 

Villanueva's tirades against congressmen were an offshoot of the House of Representatives and Senate's back and forth on the topic of Charter change (Cha-cha). He is a former CIBAC Party-list congressman.