House members deny being dictated by Romualdez amid Duterte impeachment case limbo

Metro Manila, Philippines - Two House members denied on Wednesday, June 4, that they were following the dictates of House Speaker Martin Romualdez amid the uncertainty of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment case.

This came after Senate President Chiz Escudero said House lawmakers were dictating to the upper chamber on how to move the impeachment proceedings forward. He also said that representatives were subservient to Romualdez.

Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano, who voted for the impeachment, said his stand was based on the sentiment of his constituents.

“Ako sa parte ko, bihirang-bihira kami magkita ni Speaker. Actually, nagkita kami ni Speaker dito lang po sa plenary. Never po kaming nagkaka-usap nang personal,” Valeriano said.

[Translation: For my part, I rarely see the Speaker. Actually, we just see each other in the plenary. We never talked in private.]

Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, meanwhile, said Escudero’s claim has no basis.

“‘Di kami dinidiktahan [We are not being dictated]. In fact, he’s quite quiet pagdating diyan sa stand namin diyan sa [when it comes to our stance on] impeachment and the developments in the Senate,” she said.

Valeriano and Roman urged the Senate to convene as an impeachment court and start the trial of Duterte.

In February, the House impeached the vice president for graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, and other high crimes.