It’s business as usual despite  impeachment trial – Belmonte

QUEZON CITY — As Congress session resumes on May 9, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. assured that the House of Representatives will continue to exercise its legislative function during the impeachment trial of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.

Acknowledging that the trial could distract lawmakers, Belmonte said he would make sure that hearings at the committee level and legislative business in the plenary would continue on session days.
“I want the House to function normally and let the people who were designated take care of it,” he said.

“”The House should continue to exercise its legislative function. I don’t like it (impeachment trial) to affect how we are. I want our work continued, and let the people who have been assigned to do the job do their work,” he added.

Belmonte said only the 11 lawmakers who will serve as members of the prosecution team and the designated spokespersons would be disrupted from their legislative work during the trial.

Aside from House justice committee chair and Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., the prosecution team is composed of Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Farinas, Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo “Erin” Tanada III, Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares, Cavite Rep. Elpidio “Pidi” Barzaga, Valenzuela Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo, Akbayan party-list Rep. Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao, Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, Marikina City Rep. Miro Quimbo and Northern Samar Rep. Raul Daza.

Only Tupas, most likely to head the prosecution panel, Farinas and Tanada have been officiaLly elected prosecutors while the remaining eight will be elected in the plenary when session resumes on May 9.
Tupas said the Speaker also named South Cotabato City Rep. Daisy Avance-Fuentes as public relations specialist, while party-list Reps. Sherwin Tugna of the Citizens Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) and Emmeline Aglipay of DIWA will serve as spokespersons.

Belmonte said he will provide all the resources needed by the prosecution team during the trial, including financial resources.

He initially said the prosecution team can tap P5 million from the House budget, but Tupas said they would be needing more.

Meanwhile, expected to be tackled in the House when session resumes on May 9 are the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill and the proposed national budget for 2012