Big boy gatecrashes, throws tantrum

The controversial representative of a youth partylist group who found his way as head of the National Youth Commission made a scene recently in a weekly forum.

NYC chairperson Ronald Gian Carlo Cardema rushed and insulted a guest of a forum, lawmaker Raoul Manuel of Kabataan Partylist.

The scene happened during the "Pandesal Forum" at the 83-year-old Kamuning Bakery Café in Quezon City.

Manuel was the sole guest at the forum on "Goals, Activities, Projects, Plans and proposed Reforms of the Kabataan Partylist for the Filipino Youth."

During the question-and-answer portion, Cardema posted a query via Facebook live asking Manuel if his party-list group condemned the killing of a youth football player slain last year from a New People's Army land mine.

Cardema was referring to Kieth Absalon, the football player of Far Eastern University who was killed on 6 June 2021 in Masbate.

"Have you visited the wake of the player," Cardema asked, to which Manuel answered back and said his group issued "not just condemnation but we even called for authorities to do a thorough investigation?"

After Rep. Manuel answered, a fuming Cardema arrived from nowhere and pointed fingers at the lawmaker while shouting "Wala ka sa Kongreso ngayon, Put***** I** mo!"

Cardema alleged that he was incensed by the statement of Manuel that the NYC that he chaired was mismanaged, plus an allegation of corruption.

Moderator nonplussed

The forum's moderator, Kamuning Bakery owner Wilson Lee Flores, was shocked by the scene but allowed Cardema to sit at the panel's table.

Flores later issued a statement on his Facebook page after the fracas, saying "I was surprised but couldn't stop NYC Chairman Ronald Cardema who just walked in and went up the stage, so I tried to be courteous to our guest speaker Cong. Raoul Manuel and Cardema, seek to facilitate a healthy and amicable exchange of ideas."

"Apologies for the heated words sometimes, which I tried to calm down. I also tried to let Chairman Cardema disavow the dangers of the blanket and indiscriminate red-tagging by some. Apologies also to our guest speaker."

In the plenary debate last 27 September during the House of Representative's deliberation on the 2023 proposed budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Manuel moved to defer the budget of the NYC unless its chairperson, Cardema, resigns.

This was after allegations of mismanagement of funds and corruption within the agency, which the management of NYC has failed to address.

"There is no use deliberating on the budget of NYC while the leadership remains as it is so Mr. Speaker, we call for the resignation of NYC Chairperson Ronald Cardema. If he will not resign and he clings to his position, he should be replaced," Manuel said.

Cardema, who already suffered a lot of flak when he was in the shoes of Manuel, apparently resented the potshots.