Senatorial hopeful and Rep. Wilbert Lee is facing an ethics complaint for “improper conduct” and “disrespectful” behavior during the recent budget deliberations for the Department of Health (DoH).
Lee allegedly grabbed the microphone from a colleague in an attempt to derail the approval of the agency’s funding.
Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo and BHW Rep. Angelica Natasha Co filed the complaint on Monday after reflecting on the incident that occurred on 25 September, the last day of the House hearing on the proposed 2025 national budget.
In their complaint, Quimbo and Co, the DoH’s budget sponsors, described how Lee “furiously approached” them at the podium. They claimed that upon getting “very close,” Lee pointed at them with “malicious intent” and threatened to create a disturbance if they did not allow him to speak.
“We became the subjects of his act of aggression. I could see in his face that there was a form of aggression,” Quimbo said.
Lee had previously sought to defer the DoH budget approval, citing non-compliance and a lack of a comprehensive plan from the agency and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation to expand health coverage despite the availability of over P500 billion.
On the last day of the budget hearing, Lee “forcibly” grabbed the microphone from Senior Deputy Minority Leader Paul Daza, who had moved to end the deliberation.
Co, who “passed out” after the encounter, accused Lee of engaging in “unparliamentary actions” and political grandstanding.
“Congressman Lee does everything just to grandstand and gain popularity. He is a fake, merely pretending to be an advocate while aiming for a Senate seat,” she said.
She added, “He was given enough time to interpellate, and his ignorance of the rules does not excuse his disrespect. Hell hath no fury like the public when deceived by a pretender.”
In response, Lee expressed respect for Quimbo’s and Co’s decision to file the complaint but asserted that it was never his intention to “hurt or bully anyone.”
“It is also not my intention to disrespect Congress. My actions stemmed from a strong desire to address the lack of and the very expensive health benefits,” he said in Filipino.