A new group, formed to call on abuses of Congress or House of Representatives (HoR) has come out Tuesday.
Calling themselves Kontra Abuso ng Kongreso said they are not against the congressmen but the way how some privilege of Congress is being abused by lawmakers.
Composed of organizations like SwordAFP, Manibela, National Public Transport Coalition, United TNVS, I.B.A.N.A.G, Lawyers for Commuters’ Safety and Protection, and Laban TNVS, the group claimed, while Congress has a power to call an inquiry or investigations, the Supreme Court has already ruled that not all issues can be handled by HoR and that the Constitution stated, such should be base in aid of legislation.
“Meaning, there should be a proposed measure or bill. Their (Congress) rules should already published and lastly the rights of the invited guests should always be respected,” Atty. Ariel Inton, the lead convenor of the group, said.
Inton said, like other Congress resource speaker or guest in any inquiry, he, too experienced humiliation when asked to be a guest.
“And was threatened to be in contempt, because my beliefs runs counter to them (congressmen),” Inton explained.
“How many public and private officials have been insulted, ridiculed by lawmakers in the name of legislative inquiry. Then anong batas ang naipasa nila sa pagiinsulto ng resource persons. Dati pag na contempt, sa Congress compound ka lang. Ngayon dadalhin ka na sa kulungan. If this will not be questioned, then resource speakers will be at the mercy of merciless congressmen,” he added.
Inton said the lawmakers are acting like they are prosecutors and most of the time act as the judge to a case.
“You are not a court of justice. You are the House of Congress and lawmakers. The Constitution allows you to have an inquiry, if you have already a bill to it,” he further explained.
“If they don’t have a bill, while calling and conducting the inquiry. They are only fooling our people,” Inton stressed.