Former President Rodrigo R. Duterte posted a cryptic message on his Facebook page, stressing that one must have a standing principle.
“Ang importante kasi 'yung prinsipyo… Kung may prinsipyo ka, magkakaintindihan talaga tayo (What is important is principle, if you have a principle, we will be okay),” Duterte said on his Facebook post on November 7.
Duterte, who seemed to throw a harsh comment at someone, added that one should not expect to clap his hands everytime someone made “a stupid thing”.
“Ngayon, kung wala kang prinsipyo sa buhay at basta papayag ka lang just because of pakikisama (Now if you have no principle in life and you just agree because of comradeship) even if you're doing the wrong thing…do not expect me to clap my hands every time you make a stupid thing there,” Duterte said.
It can be noted that Duterte said that the members of Congress must conduct a formal audit on the pork barrel funds during his television program aired on SMNI last October 10. Duterte also demanded liquidation of the House of Representatives' confidential funds.
Duterte, who is also Davao City’s former mayor, also called the House of Representatives the “most rotten organization”.
Coincidentally, house speaker Martin Romualdez said on November 6 that he vowed to continue to defend the institution and its members from threats and intimidation from any source, especially those who seek to tarnish and malign them.
Despite having different beliefs and standing on various issues, Romualdez said the members of the House of Representatives continue to be united especially against those attacking the institution, “especially those preventing and distracting” them from performing their mandate.
He also defended how the House of Representatives exercised its power of the purse by approving certain realignments in the 2024 national budget.
“The House was never lenient, nor did it favor anyone. The entire process was dedicated to uplifting the lives of our fellow citizens and staying true to the fundamental principles of the system of checks and balances in the government,” he said.
A House Resolution was also passed in support of Romualdez’s leadership sponsored by Senior Deputy Speaker (SDS) Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. of Pampanga's third district.
During the deliberation for the adoption of the resolution, Gonzales announced his resignation as PDP-Laban's national treasurer, naming its party chair, former President Rodrigo Duterte, as the person attacking the institution. ICE with reports from TAPM