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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Nakakaasar na rin': Abante gets reals about De Jesus complaint vs PBBM

'Nakakaasar na rin': Abante gets reals about De Jesus complaint vs PBBM

Published Feb 3, 2026 10:23 pm

At A Glance

  • Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. couldn't hide his frustration Tuesday, Feb. 3 as he and his House colleagues ripped apart the first impeachment complaint filed against President Marcos during a Committee on Justice hearing.
Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)


Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. couldn't hide his frustration Tuesday, Feb. 3 as he and his House colleagues ripped apart the first impeachment complaint filed against President Marcos during a Committee on Justice hearing.
The last straw for Abante came during the deliberations on the complaint's allegation that President Marcos created the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) specifically to "shield" the latter's allies from accountability in the flood control projects corruption scandal.
Lawyer Andre de Jesus filed the 12-page impeachment complaint.
"Ito pong si Atty. Andre de Jesus, hindi ko alam kung anong klaseng abugado ito, pero nakakahiya naman doon sa members ng ICI na magaling mag-imbestiga, at para bang sila din po ay nagkasala din at nagkamali rin sa taumbayan," Abante said in a manifestation.
(As for Atty. Andre de Jesus, I don’t know what kind of lawyer he is, but it is embarrassing for the members of the ICI, who are skilled in investigation, as if they too had sinned and erred against the people.)
"I would just like to say na walang kwenta po itong sinasabing itong, tinatawag natin na 'Respondent created the ICI to shield corrupt allies (I would just like to say that this claim--‘Respondent created the ICI to shield corrupt allies’--is worthless),'" noted the House quad-committee (quad-comm) 2.0 overall chairman.
Abante then proceeded to "crash out" in the most parliamentary way possible
"Siguro po kung siya (De Jesus) ang presidente, gagawin niya yun. But the thing is this...palagay ko talagang wala na pong sufficient grounds tong impeachment na ito eh. Eh dapat talaga ibasura na ho natin ito sa lalong madaling panahon."
(Perhaps if he were president, he would do that. But the thing is, I truly believe there are no longer sufficient grounds for this impeachment. This should really be dismissed at the soonest possible time.)
Abante's strong remarks caught the attention of committee chairperson Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro, who felt the need to give the Manila lawmaker a friendly reminder.
Although the ICI should have been given more powers to investigate and to subpoena, na hindi po nangyari,
"Honorable Abante, let us be cordial to our complainants," the soft-spoken Luistro said with a smile.
"Madam chair, nakakaasar na rin po kasi (it's also getting on my nerves)," Abante replied.
Other panel members agreed with Abante in that the ICI was a reputable body that had good intentions. Only, the quad-comm chief wished that ICI had subpoena powers to perform its mandate better.
The justice panel will vote in its scheduled hearing Wednesday, Feb. 3 to declare whether or not the De Jesus complaint is sufficient in substance. It was deemed sufficient in form during Monday's hearing.
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