SPEAKER Martin Romualdez recently vowed to jail anyone who will lie to the House Committee on Agriculture and Food, or to any legitimate House inquiry for that matter, driving home the point that Congress, not just the Executive department, has the power to sanction offenders.
The agriculture and food panel headed by Rep. Mark Enverga is in the thick of its inquiry into the alleged hoarding of agricultural products that has resulted in the prices of onion and other agricultural products getting exceedingly high.
“I cannot stress enough for these resource persons the importance of cooperating with the committee: Lie to lawmakers and you will all find yourselves in jail,” said Romualdez.
‘With regards to Congress’ power of contempt with concomitant jail terms, it seems the Senate is more actively using this power rather than the House, so that resource persons tend to fear the senators more than the representatives.’
Along with Romualdez and Enverga, Representatives Rodante Marcoleta and Elpidio Barzaga Jr. have been doing a great job in exposing the presence of a well-entrenched cartel that works with insiders in the government, probably in the Department of Agriculture which is headed ironically by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with the end in view of dismantling them. This agri cartel or syndicate had been identified as also involved in smuggling crops and other agricultural products in past public hearings in the Senate led by former Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
The Speaker had to issue his stern warning after the House cited in contempt three officials of the Argo International Forwarders Inc. for refusing to turn over to lawmakers their complete list of clients who stored red onions in their cold storage facility in Nueva Ecija last year.
The representatives noted that it was only after being cited in contempt and spending some time in detention at the House that the Argo officials eventually agreed to cooperate with the panel looking into onion hoarding. The agriculture panel last week lifted the contempt order and released John Patrick Sevilla and Argo president Efren Zoleta Jr. and their lawyer Ryan Jan Cruz, who were earlier cited in contempt. The panel has subpoenaed alleged big-time onion hoarder Leah Cruz, who is also known as the “Sibuyas Queen,” and another resource person, Ernesto Francisco, on the motion of Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo.
With regards to Congress’ power of contempt with concomitant jail terms, it seems the Senate is more actively using this power rather than the House, so that resource persons tend to fear the senators more than the representatives.
Speaker Romualdez, therefore, is on the right track in flexing the House’s muscle to sanction those who would undercut its importance, as such will essentially limit the power of Congress to function.
“We need to lower the prices of onions and decimate the cartel the soonest possible time.
And I guarantee the imprisonment of those exploitative and abusive individuals and business owners behind the cartel. Our constituents need an immediate reprieve from the high prices of agricultural goods,” the Speaker said.
Let us see how this Congress will complete the task, something that the previous Senate left unfinished.
