House Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe believes that the preventive suspension request filed with the Ombudsman against him, Speaker Martin Romualdez, and two other lawmakers over the alleged PHP 241 billion insertions in the 2025 National Budget is merely a political tactic.
According to Dalipe, the timing of the suspension request coincides with the ongoing discussions about the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte. He claims that the group led by former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, known allies of Duterte, is using the complaint as a diversionary tactic to shift public attention.
Dalipe further described the move as a “desperate attempt” to use the Ombudsman as a political tool, emphasizing that the House remains committed to transparency and accountability, regardless of political affiliations.
He asserted that Alvarez and his allies are attempting to manipulate the narrative by filing cases to cover up issues surrounding Duterte while painting the congressmen who supported the impeachment as the villains.
The House leader also highlighted that the complaint and suspension request are strategically timed to pressure Congress and create misleading stories that could tarnish the integrity of the House leadership.
Dalipe expressed confidence that the Ombudsman would not allow itself to be weaponized for political purposes and would swiftly dismiss the preventive suspension request.
Aside from Romualdez and Dalipe, former Appropriations Chairman Elizaldy Co and Marikina City Representative Stella Luz Quimbo are also named in the complaint and suspension request.
