By Matthew Go
Veteran lawmakers confronted neophyte legislator Drixie Mae Cardema of the Duterte Youth party-list over her remarks against her colleagues, and red-tagging to some invited resource speakers during the Quad Committee hearings of the House of Representatives.
The Quad Committee, composed of the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Accounts, Public Order and Safety, and Human Rights, is investigating the alleged excesses and illegal acts during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘drug war.’
Cardema’s remarks, which praised former President Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte while criticizing her colleagues, sparked a strong response from veteran lawmakers. She asserted that the Duterte administration’s crackdown on criminals, drug addicts, and NPA rebels was “widely supported” by the Filipino people. Cardema emphasized the high voter turnout for both Duterte and his daughter, Sara, attributing their popularity to their supposed tough stance on crime.
“We representatives here were elected by only a few thousand Filipinos, but with us now is President Duterte, the most voted Philippine leader of 2016, and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, the most voted Philippine leader of 2022,” Cardema stated.
Her comments drew applause from some supporters but were quickly rebuked by Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, lead co-chairperson of the Quad Committee. Barbers reminded attendees that applause was not permitted during the session and called for respect and decorum.
Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop, a former member of the Philippine Constabulary and a retired police brigadier general, expressed his disagreement with Cardema’s statements. He highlighted his long standing service to the country and criticized Cardema for her perceived lack of understanding of congressional rules and procedures.
“The statement of my colleague betrays her ignorance. If she wants to investigate, she should file a resolution and refer it to the appropriate committee. Her statements betray her ignorance of our rules here in this house of congress,” Acop said.
It can be recalled that Acop made a similar statement during the House’s hearing regarding the alleged franchise violations of the Duterte-linked media group SMNI on December 5, 2023. Addressing another vocal Duterte supporter, former Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, a fuming Acop said, “You do not have a monopoly of love of country.”
“I’m sorry for what happened to you, Madam Badoy, but you do not have a monopoly of love of country. I have spent my life fighting for this country. You do not have to tell me that,” Acop said. “Mas marami akong sinugal kaysa sayo (I have risked a lot more than you). So do not give me that crap,” the solon from Antipolo told the resource speaker, his eyes locked on the latter.
Barbers further emphasized that no one had a monopoly on love for the country and urged Cardema to attend committee hearings regularly if she wanted certain resource persons invited.
ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro also weighed in, noting that Cardema’s repeated criticisms of progressive groups and party-lists were becoming tiresome. Castro called for respect towards invited resource persons and urged Cardema to focus on the welfare of the youth.
The Supreme Court of the Philippines recently declared red-tagging illegal, recognizing it as a threat to life, liberty, and security. This ruling came after numerous accounts of harassment and intimidation against individuals and organizations labeled as communist sympathizers.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte has also been in the spotlight, testifying in the Senate about his controversial war on drugs. During his testimony, Duterte admitted to incentivizing anti-drug operations and personally killing suspects. His statements have sparked further debates and investigations into the human rights violations committed during his administration.