SEVERAL committees of the House of Representatives in the 19th Congress have issued a total of 37 contempt citations to individuals.
This developed as the House of Representatives under the leadership of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez completed a 16-person detention facility that has been unveiled to hold resource persons ordered detained by the chamber in the exercise of its legislative and oversight functions.
House Secretary-General Reginald “Reggie” S. Velasco and Sergeant-at-Arms Napoleon “Nap” Taas led the inauguration of the four-room facility located at the building of the Legislative Security Bureau (LSB) last Wednesday, with some House members as special guests.
It was learned that total of 37 contempt citations were issued by the following committees in the 19th Congress: Public Accounts, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights, Dangerous Drugs, Franchise, Agriculture and others.
Before the unveiling of the detention facility, the chamber had no permanent structure to accommodate those cited in contempt.
Now, each of the four rooms of the detention facility can accommodate four persons comfortably, said Velasco.
“Today, we are unveiling a building marker that transcends its physical form. It's not just a metal sign with information about the building and the custodial facilities in it. It symbolizes something much more profound,” Velasco said during the event on July 7.
“It's a testament to the unwavering commitment of the House of Representatives' leadership to uphold rights and dignity, a commitment that we take very seriously,” he added.
Velasco said the detention facility is for individuals who have been cited in contempt during the legislative investigation process and ordered detained for a couple of days.
As of present, there are two individuals who are detained at the House of Representatives -- Daisy Quiros, a real estate broker ordered detained by the Committee on Public Accounts and Ronilyn Baterna, corporate secretary of Lucky South 99 ordered detained by the Committee on Public Order and Safety.
“And the provision of clean and comfortable facilities, the fair treatment, the protection of their safety and welfare, and the continuous monitoring by our medical team of their health condition all reflect our operational efficiency within the House and reinforce the integrity of our investigation process,” Velasco expressed.
“This commitment to those placed under our care builds public trust in our processes and our institution. It shows that the House of Representatives values integrity situations and transparency, even in challenging situations,” he further noted.
Taas said before the 19th Congress, there was no detention facility dedicated to holding those declared in contempt of the chamber.
In fact, he added, last July 10 -- before the completion of the detention center -- the House temporary facility could no longer accommodate more detainees.
He said they were left with no choice but to have Mayor Abundio Punzalan and Mr. Loreto Santos, cited in contempt by Committee on Public Accounts, committed at the BJMP facility in Bicutan.
“Since time immemorial, the HRep has never had a facility dedicated for those held in contempt by the committees. It is only in this 19th Congress under the leadership of the Honorable Speaker Martin Romualdez that such a facility is finally constructed,” Taas said.
“What we have not only ensured a safe and secured detention facility but one where detainees could serve their detention orders in a dignified condition. It also affords the Security Bureau a facility that is much easier to secure,” he added.
Before, he said it would take a minimum of 10 security personnel to secure the detainees of the House of Representatives, but since the construction of the detention facility, four would now be enough for this purpose.
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