‘Why us?’ House spox questions Senate’s smear campaign accusations

MANILA, Philippines — House spokesperson Princess Abante questioned on Tuesday, July 29, Senate President Chiz Escudero's claim that the alleged "demolition job" against him and the Senate came from the lower chamber. 

"Bakit kami? Bakit kami ang may kasalanan?" she said in an ambush interview. (Why us? Why is the blame on us?) 

Abante said she noticed that whenever the Senate is criticized, particularly over the delay in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, Escudero deflects by telling people to direct their questions to the House.

"Ang tanong naman po ay, tinatanong kay Senate President Chiz — bakit po sa amin ibinabato ang tanong? Bakit 'pag may mga criticism sa kanya ay tinataasan niya ng kilay ang House of Representatives?" she asked. 

(The question now is, why are the questions being thrown at us instead of Senate President Chiz? Why is it that whenever there’s criticism against him, he raises an eyebrow at the House of Representatives?)

This came after Escudero said he had “traced” the demolition job to the House, when asked about a CCTV report showing him walking past House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s office during budget talks for 2025. 

"Malamang galing din sa kanila 'yan dahil ang paninira, natrace namin ang paninira laban sa amin ay nangagaling din sa kamara," he said at a press briefing on Tuesday morning. 

(Most likely, that also came from them because the smear campaign, we traced it back to the House.)

Escudero described the release of the CCTV footage as an “insinuation” that is "wrought with malice" being picked up by the media, saying it appeared to come from those seeking to politicize the incident. 

He clarified that his visit to the House was part of ongoing bicameral discussions on the 2025 national budget, and that the office in question was where bicam meetings were held. He said the meeting was held to ensure the staff could carry out their duties without any problems.

"Hindi nga lang siguro dalawang beses ako bumisita pero hindi sa tanggapan ni Speaker Romualdez — sa tanggapan kung saan ang opisina kung saan isinasagawa ang bicam na pinagusapan din naman nung nag bicameral conference committee meeting naman kami," he said. 

(I may have visited more than twice, but not in Speaker Romualdez’s office — it was in the office where the bicam meetings were held, which we also discussed during the bicameral conference committee meeting.)

Meanwhile, Abante said, it would probably be better if he just answered the questions raised to him directly. 

This comes in light of allegations of "multi-billion-peso budget insertions" in the 2025 national budget, which he also dismissed by pointing out figures that did not seem to add up. He, however, confirmed proposing budget changes for Sorsogon, although not one that reached P9 billion. 

RELATED: Sotto: Escudero’s alleged budget insertions should be probed

Romualdez is also facing allegations from Rep. Toby Tiangco (Navotas, Lone District) of meddling in the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) financial aid programs, including the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) and the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS).

In a Tuesday statement, Tiagnco said the Speaker's office "must stop controlling AICS, AKAP, TUPAD and MAIP." He alleged that House members "have to beg from the Office of the Speaker" in requesting allocations, resembling a "pork barrel" due to the purported discretion that Romualdez has.  

Abante denied these claims, saying that the House speaker does not have control over who becomes beneficiaries of the DSWD program. He, the same with other congressional offices, may only issue endorsements or referrals based on constituent requests. However, they do not have the final say on who receives the financial assistance. 

"These are strictly facilitative and do not guarantee or influence approval. Final decisions rest entirely with the implementing agencies, which assess each request based on program guidelines, fund availability, and internal controls," she said.