The plenary hall of the House of Representatives (Dexter Barro II/MANILA BULLETIN)

No other institution in the Philippines presents in full view the pulse of politics like the 300-plus strong House of Representatives--and the year 2024 was no different.

In this melting pot of various political stances--which is 10 times bigger than the Senate, the other legislative chamber--it is quite intriguing to see how the House members pursued various landmark measures while staying true to their personal beliefs.

Being district and sectoral representatives, the solons were also quite outspoken on different issues of national importance, even if it meant openly criticizing fellow public servants. But that's what politics is all about--make the case for your side, agree to disagree, and in the end let the people decide.

Economic Cha-cha try

The Speaker Martin Romualdez-led House of Representatives' first mission of 2024 was to pass a Charter change (Cha-cha) measure--an economic Cha-cha measure, to be exact.

The House achieved this on March 20, when then the plenary voted 288-8-2 (yes-no-abstain) to pass on third and final reading the proposed economic Cha-cha, as embodied in Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No.7. As the phrase implies, the current Cha-cha effort is only concerned with easing the restrictive economic provisions of the 37-year-old Constitution.

RBH No.7 is an exact copy of the Senate's RBH No.6, which proposes amendments to Articles XII, XIV and XVI, focusing on the national patrimony, economy, education and general provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

The year 2024 was arguably the last time in the current Marcos administration that seeking constitutional revision was politically feasible in Congress (House and Senate). By 2025, all of the solons' focus would be placed in mid-term polls; after the that, the latter half of the Marcos administration will have commenced.

To pursue Cha-cha in the final three years of any presidency is viewed as an uphill climb, given its likelihood to be branded as an attempt to extend the term of elected officials. With the Senate's relative indifference to economic Cha-cha, the effort ultimately went nowhere, and the House was left with no choice but to move on.

House takes SMNI to task

Controversial television network Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI)--founded by the equally controversial Pastor Apollo Quiboloy--found itself on the receiving end of franchise revocation efforts in the House in 2024.

HB No. 9710, which sought to repeal Swara Sug Media Corporation (corporate name of SMNI) operating franchise, was also approved on third and final reading by congressmen on March 20. The network's franchise was originally scheduled to expire in 2044.

The revocation of SMNI’s franchise was prompted by a series of violations, including spreading fake news, involvement in red-tagging, and committing serious corporate offenses.

Romualdez defended the revocation of SMNI’s franchise. He called it a “decisive action” that “underscores our commitment to uphold the integrity of broadcasting standards and the public’s trust".

SMNI openly admitted to transitioning from a non-stock, non-profit corporation to a sole corporation under Quiboloy in 2006. Later, in 2023, the controlling stake was transferred to Bro. Marlon Acobo, with both transactions taking place without obtaining congressional approval.

Section 10 of Republic Act (RA) 11422--the law granting SMNI the franchise to operate until 2044--stipulates the requisite congressional approval for such changes, explicitly prohibiting the sale, lease, transfer, or assignment of the franchise without prior congressional consent.

Pantaleon Alvarez's advice to PBBM

Davao del Norte 1st district Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez---known to be a close ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte--grabbed headlines in late March when he told President Marcos to make the ultimate "sacrifice" by turning over the reins of the country to Vice President Sara Duterte.

Alvarez gave this advice to President Marcos on amid the ever-growing tension between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“I will advise the President to reflect and meditate this Holy Week. If Jesus Christ himself made sacrifice for the people, maybe it is his turn to do the same by voluntarily resigning from his position and turn over the functions of the presidency to the duly-elected Vice President in the person of VP Sara Duterte,” he said.

The veteran congressman sees this as a way to somehow de-escalate the tension in the WPS. The Duterte family is known to have good ties with China.

“I respectfully call for our President Ferdinant Marcos Jr. to stop making decisions and actions that will further escalate the tensions between the Philippines and China. Realistically speaking, we cannot compete with China in terms of military strength. We have allies and defense treaty with the US but are we 100 percent sure they will come to our defense? I don’t think so,” he said.

Alvarez, who was serrved as Hose Speaker during the first two years of former president Duterte's term, called on the Marcos to "reassess its strategies in dealing with the Chinese government in the WPS" following a water cannon attack perpetrated by the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) to a Philippine resupply mission boat navigating towards Ayungin Shoal.

Just days later, during a political rally in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, Alvarez told the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to withdraw its support from the Chief Executive. This was supposedly in response to developments in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue.

Most of Alvarez's House colleagues didn't agree with his remarks, with some of them branding the ex-Speaker as pro-China, and risking sedition in the process.

House takes another crack at divorce bill

For the first time in six years, the House of Representatives approved a bill legalizing absolute divorce—perhaps the most divisive legislative measure in recent history.

HB No. 9349, or “An Act Reinstituting Absolute Divorce as an Alternative Mode for the Dissolution of Marriage,” was passed on May 22 via slim margin of 131 affirmative votes, 109 negative votes, and 20 abstentions.

The historic measure, principally authored by Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman, seeks to offer another mode of dissolving dysfunctional marriages through several grounds, such as domestic violence, marital infidelity, and abandonment.

According to Lagman, a member of the minority, the bill is intended to "save the children from the pain, stress, and agony consequent to their parents’ marital clashes or irreconcilable differences".

Anti-divorce lawmakers, however, argue that the bill would “destroy” the spirit of marriage. It was also criticized for being unconstitutional, citing its supposed violation of the provision which states that marriage is “the foundation of the family and shall be protected by the State”.

The bill is still pending in the Senate.

Enter quad-comm: Mega-panel looks into POGO rabbit hole

Following high-profile raids on several Philippine offshore gambling operations (POGOs) that unraveled links to organized crime, lawmakers from both the House minority and majority urged President Marcos to outright ban such facilities.

This did not fall on deaf ears as the President ordered a ban on POGOs during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July.

Despite the ban, the House continued its investigation into POGOs with one question in mind: who are the masterminds behind it?

The mega-panel in charge of this is the quad-committee (quad-comm), composed of the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights, and Public Accounts. It is led by overall chairman Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers.

It held its first ever hearing on Aug. 15, and has since proven to be must-see TV.

Over several public hearings, which captured the interest of millions of viewers, the quad-comm invited a slew of alleged POGO personalities, including Alice Guo, Atty. Harry Roque, Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, and Tony Yang.

In a Nov. 28 hearing, the quad-comm presented a detailed matrix of a “deeply-entrenched transnational criminal syndicate” behind POGOs and the criminal activities behind them. The panel’s findings point to former president Duterte’s presidential adviser Michael Yang and his associate Allan Lim as its alleged leaders.

House seeks justice for EJK victims during Duterte’s drug war

Aside from POGOs, the House quad-comm also investigated in great detail the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) and human rights violations during Duterte’s bloody war on illegal drugs during his presidency.

During the previous Duterte administration, an investigation like in the House of Representatives would not have been possible—after all, Congress has traditionally been in favor of the administration. Suffice it to say that in 2024, the House made a stand for the sake of the families of EJK victims.

The main focus of the lawmakers is to hold Duterte and his close allies accountable for the purported 30,000 deaths during the drug war.

During his sole appearance before the quad-comm on Nov. 13, the former president admitted the existence of a cash reward system for drug war kills. The 79-year-old Duterte even dared the International Criminal Court (ICC) to immediately begin its investigation into his anti-drugs campaign while he was still alive.

At one point, the hearing got so tense that Duterte nearly scuffled with former senator Antonio Trillanes, who was a resource person in the hearing. The former leader also openly antagonized former senator Leila de Lima, who was incarcerated for drug charges during his Palace tenure.

After 13 grueling hearings, the quad-comm tagged Duterte and his inner circle for mounting a “grand criminal enterprise” where they were alleged to have profited from the illegal drug trade they had publicly vowed to eliminate.

In its progress report which it submitted to plenary on Dec. 18, the quad-comm recommended the filing of appropriate charges against Duterte and his allies Senators Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa and Christopher "Bong" Go.

Barbers tagged the trio as "perpetrators of crimes against humanity under Section 6, Republic Act (RA) No.9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and other Crimes against Humanity".

OVP’s proposed 2025 budget gets slashed

Following last year’s realignment of confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to other agencies, the House of Representatives took it one step further as they moved to cut the 2025 budget of Vice President Sara Duterte’s office from the proposed P2.037 billion to just P733 million.

The staggering decrease was sought after Duterte deliberately skipped the hearings of the House Committee on Appropriations—the panel in charge of overseeing the deliberations on the,General Appropriations Bill (GAB) or proposed national budget--and the subsequent plenary debates.

During her sole appearance before the committee on Aug. 27, the Vice President butted heads with House members over the former’s refusal to directly answer questions surrounding the OVP’s controversial usage of P125 million in confidential funds in an 11-day period in December 2022.

In one instance, Makabayan bloc member and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro likened Duterte’s evasiveness to that of a “pusit” (squid).

However, Duterte wasn’t left to fend for herself in the hearing as she was backed by none other than the former president and incumbent Pampanga 2nd district Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who thumbed down her colleagues’ manner of questioning.

SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, a close ally of the Dutertes, questioned the lower chamber for not affording the lady official the traditional parliamentary courtesy.

Probing VP Sara’s alleged misuse of confidential funds

Following a scathing privilege speech by Manila 2nd district Rep. Rolando Valeriano, where he criticized Vice President Duterte’s confrontational behavior and refusal to cooperate with congressmen during the budget hearing of the OVP, the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability launched a thorough probe into Duterte’s usage of confidential funds.

The panel, described as a counterpart to the Senate’s Blue Ribbon Committee, included the Department of Education (DepEd) in its investigation. The agency was previously led by Duterte herself from June 30, 2022 to July 19, 2024.

Through a number of hearings, lawmakers alleged that both the DepEd and OVP misused their allocation of confidential funds totaling to P612.5 million. Allegations of splurging this money on safe houses and youth leadership summits, handing out cash envelopes to certain officials, and the bewildering disbursement of funds to Duterte’s security personnel were among the issues that the panel flagged.

However, none have caught the public’s attention as much as the mystery behind “Mary Grace Piattos”--a supposed signatory to a confidential fund receipt. The name trended on social media as netizens pointed out how it is named after a Filipino restaurant chain and a local potato chips brand. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has since reported that 1,322 names linked to such receipts have no birth records.

The Vice President only made two appearances before the Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua-chaired good government panel. In her first appearance on Sept. 18, she surprisingly refused to take an oath to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. She returned to face the panel on Nov. 25, but cut her attendance short due to her staff’s medical emergency. These missed opportunities meant that the committee did not get the chance to directly ask Duterte about the issues hounding her.

The drama didn’t end there though, as the panel’s arrest order on Duterte’s chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, led to the Vice President violating protocols to spend the night with her at Batasang Pambansan complex. It was during this episode wherein Vice President Duterte claimed in a press briefing that she contacted an assassin to kill President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Romualdez—in the event that she was killed.

During the final hearing of the good government panel for 2024, both majority and minority congressmen cited the potential crimes committed by Vice President Duterte and her offices, which include plunder, malversation, falsification, and bribery. The panel, however, has yet to recommend the filing of such charges.

Murang Pagkain Super-committee

On Sept. 25, the House formalized the creation of another multi-panel panel body, this time to tackle the issue on the high cost of rice and other basic goods.

Dubbed the quinta-committee (quinta-comm), it is tasked to investigate the interdependent issues of smuggling and price manipulation of basic goods and essential commodities, as well as to address hunger and promote food and nutrition security. It is led by overall chairman Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda.

The five panels that make up the quinta-comm are the Committees on Ways and Means, Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Food, Social Services; and the Special Committee on Food Security.

Nicknaming itself as the Murang Pagkain Super-committee, the quinta-comm in its first hearing on Nov. 26 traced “biggest agricultural price manipulation case" involving rice--the Filipino staple food--to the previous Duterte administration.

“The biggest case of price manipulation in the agricultural sector remains to be the cornering of import permits in 2016-2018,” Salceda said. He estimated the total economic loss at P88.6 billion.

The economist-solon noted how private sector control over rice importation and the manipulation of import permits during the period led to a significant spike in rice prices in 2018, with consumers paying up to P8 more per kilo.

He said that the issue only eased after the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) abolished in 2019 the permit system administered by the National Food Authority (NFA). Salceda said it remains to be known who in the private sector were granted rice importation permits by the NFA during the three-year period.

As a preview for 2025, the quinta-comm said it will pivot from tacking costly food items to costly electricity. "So, we will soon convene a Murang Kuryente Super-committee," said Salceda.

This directive came from no less than Speaker Romualdez.

“We will not stop there. Mind you, once we solve that, or at least we get the process going in bringing down the price of basic food commodities, we will even look at other basic needs of the people like power or energy cost. We will look at water. We will look at the very basic needs of the people because we are the House of the People,” Romualdez said.

VP Sara gets 3 impeachment complaints in a month

Speaking of previews for 2025, the House of Representatives--through the Committee on Justice--could start in earnest the discussions on Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment case this January.

This, after Duterte--the second highest-ranked official of the land--was slapped with a total of three impeachment complaints in December 2024.

A group composed of civil society figureheads led by former senator Lima filed the first impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte on Dec. 2.

Just two days later, on Dec. 4, a second impeachment complaint was filed agaisnt the lady official this time by members of progressive groups.

A group mostly composed of priests and lawyers then trooped to the House of Representatives to file third complaint on Dec. 19. All three complaints have been endorsed by at least one House member.

Reports said that the impeachment raps have yet to be transmitted to the Office of the Speaker. But once they do, the Speaker will pass the complaints to the Committee on Rules, which will then refer it to the justice panel.

Ellson Quismorio & Dexter Barro II

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