Metro Manila, Philippines – Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte pirouetted on an earlier statement and rejected the invitation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to appear in the flood control investigation – a presidential creation which, he now said, does not have power or jurisdiction over him as a lawmaker.
“The constitutional separation of powers bars ICI, which is part of the executive branch, from including me in your executive mandate. Your power is purely limited to the executive branch,” he said in a letter submitted to the ICI on Wednesday, Dec. 3.
He added that the ICI invite had no factual and legal basis.
“Your invitation is vague and ambiguous, absent any particulars or details of matters in the possession of ICI. It is part of due process, fairness, and respect,” the former president’s son said.
Duterte’s snub was a test of the ICI mandate that included the power to issue subpoena but cannot cite anyone in contempt for rejecting an invitation.
In his letter, the lawmaker said the ICI was a propaganda tool of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. against his family, in particular Vice President Sara Duterte and detained former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“It is my impression that the ICI was created by President Marcos to save himself, his family, ex-Speaker (Martin) Romualdez and ilks, and provide a diversion [to] cover up for their misdeeds,” he said.
Zaldy Co, the former House committee chairman, implicated Marcos and Romualdez in the flood control mess.
Backpedalling
Duterte said data from government agencies are “more than enough” to satisfy the panel’s information gathering, adding that the ICI can secure information or documents on the flood control projects.
He added that he is “incompetent” to answer the ICI questions as he was not a member of the House appropriations committee from 2019 to 2022.
On the other hand, House Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio questioned the seeming backpedalling of Duterte.
Tinio had asked the ICI to investigate P4.4 billion in contracts from 2019 to 2022 in Davao City’s 1st district.
In an earlier statement in response to Tinio, Duterte said: ““Una sa lahat, I welcome the investigation. Wala tayong tinatago, wala tayong tinatakbuhan, at wala tayong kinakatakutan. Kung may imbestigasyon ang ICI, that is very much welcomed. Mas mabuti nang klaro ang lahat kaysa puro sigaw sa media.
[Translation: First of all, I welcome the investigation. I have nothing to hide, nothing to run from, and nothing to fear. If the ICC has an investigation, that is very much welcomed. It’s better that everything is clear instead of just shouting in the media.]
Tinio fired back: “Malakas ang loob niyang pumustura na walang anomalya sa kanyang distrito pero ngayong inanyayahan siya sa aktwal na imbestigasyon, nagtatago siya sa wala sa lugar na pribilehiyo bilang kongresista.”
[Translation: He has the gall to say that there is no anomaly in his district but now he is invited to face an actual investigation, he is hiding behind the cloak of congressional privilege, which was uncalled for.]
Tinio said general denials are not enough and Duterte must answer questions related to the spending of public funds in his district.
