Bishop Emeritus of Novaliches Antonio Tobias urged erring members of the House of Representatives to return ill-gotten wealth and face accountability for corruption and other anomalies.
Tobias made the call in a message he delivered during a Thanksgiving mass on Wednesday at the House North Wing building.
‘As congressmen and women, my dear Honorable Congressmen, your duty is also to solve the current problems of our country. Especially those alas you have helped to flourish by massive corruption and involvement in serious crimes of human trafficking and offshore gaming operations, kaya some of us, some of you have to get out and escape,’ he said.
‘Return all you have stolen in restitution. Share with God the blessings you receive in abundance; there is no corruption there yet. Share also what you leave behind, not only to your family but also to your country, proportionately, according to the dictates of your own conscience,’ he added.
He likewise advised lawmakers involved not to leave the country.
Earlier, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla revealed that the ongoing flood control probe could affect over 10 percent of the House of Representatives’ lawmakers.
‘Many will be affected. More than 10 percent of its members would be affected at the very least. Membership of the House,’ the Ombudsman said.
‘But this is only low-hanging fruit. If this is eight, there will be around 12 to 15 more that have a conflict of interest. This will be painful, as I’ve said before; this entails a lot of sacrifice,’ he said.His statement came after the anti-graft body received fresh recommendations from the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to charge former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co and seven other active lawmakers of graft and other charges.