House won't interfere in Ecleo case

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives will not extend any protection to Dinagat Islands Rep. Ruben Ecleo, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Cebu regional trial court for killing his wife 10 years ago, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday.

Belmonte issued the statement as the chamber awaits the final court ruling on Ecleo’s case as the fugitive lawmaker is expected to appeal the verdict before the higher courts. 

“We will not interfere. The rest is a police matter,” he said. 

Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) party-list Rep. Sherwin Tugna appealed to Ecleo to turn himself over to the authorities peacefully.

He also called on his colleagues who may have information on Ecleo’s whereabouts to cooperate with the police. 

“If some congressmen or leaders of Congress have information on Rep. Ecleo’s whereabouts, they should help the authorities,” Tugna said in a text message.

“As lawmakers, public officials and as citizens, it is our duty to make sure that the law is upheld and that no one is above the law,” he said. 

Tugna said Ecleo’s actions would not reflect badly on the chamber, as “it is just the act of one man compared to over 220 (lawmakers) in the House, who work hard.”

House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales Jr. said the chamber was ready to expel Ecleo but it has to wait for the final ruling on his case as part of due process.

He said Ecleo, who was convicted of parricide last week for killing his wife Alona Bacolod, was likely to appeal his conviction before the higher courts.

“We still have to wait for a final ruling of the courts on his case before we can remove his name from the rolls of the House,” Gonzales said.

He cited the case of former Zamboanga del Norte congressman Romeo Jalosjos, who was convicted of child rape but remained a House member even while under detention. The Supreme Court upheld Jalosjos’ conviction and he was dropped from the rolls in 2002.

Ecleo, who heads the cultish Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association, has remained in hiding and has been absent from plenary sessions since early last year when the Sandiganbayan ordered his arrest on a graft case.

Gonzales said the issue of Ecleo’s absenteeism was for his constituents to act on.  – With Sandy Araneta