Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor decried his removal as chairman of the House of Representatives Public Accounts committee, as the lower chamber continues to shuffle its leadership posts after Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano was replaced by Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco as House Speaker.
“It is important that we as the House of Representatives protect the Filipino people’s trust in us as their elected officials. However, Speaker Velasco’s leadership is causing distrust of the Congress among Filipinos,” Defensor said.
To recall, Defensor played a key role in Cayetano’s attempt to hold on to the chamber’s top post when he moved to deny the Taguig Representative’s motion declaring the House Speaker post vacant.
Defensor said he Velasco should have at least given him “proper notice” before kicking him out of the chairmanship.
“He also mishandled changing the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee by not even giving me proper notice, even when he had the opportunity to tell me while we were at a meeting together discussing investigations and bills lined up before the Committee.”