Ramos Wants ‘House’ to End De Lima Controversy and Go Back to Making Laws

These past months, the House of Representatives had been focusing on investigating a lot of people allegedly involved in the drug trade in the Philippines, particularly former Secretary of Justice and incumbent Senator Leila de Lima – but former Pres. Fidel V. Ramos wants to remind the House that its job is to create laws, “in aid of legislation”, and not to go on a full investigation of the matters and controversies, especially because de Lima’s private life and relationships and also included in the House’s investigation.

“I hope we finish that subject,” the former president said. “Let us go on with it, because the task of Congress is in aid of legislation. So what is the legislation that must be enacted? Let us have a more strict prison system.”

But it seems the House is not yet finished with de Lima and not about to be influenced by the former president’s advice. Justice Committee chair Rep. Reynaldo Umali and House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas issued a show cause order against de Lima as a private citizen, not as a senator – because de Lima’s allies in the Senate had expressed plans to interfere with the matter should the House ‘censure its members’.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II backs the move, saying, “I think it is proper. That should be done because it was done by De Lima in her private capacity and so the House could cite her in contempt not as a member of the Senate but as a private person interfering with the proceedings of the House.”

Still, many Filipinos hope that the lawmakers go back to their job of making laws and just let the proper authorities deal with de Lima’s controversies as well as the investigations on the drug trade.

Source: Inquirer