Lanao Del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong on Friday denied reports of an impending coup in the House of Representatives and allegations that House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III is being “distant” among colleagues.
“Wala hong kudeta, walang instability, walang threat sa leadership. And I can tell you that straightforward,” Adiong said.
“I think the detractors want to see a gap and a fraction happen and division happen within our ranks. So I think that’s the ultimate objective of all these rumors coming out from the outside. Because they want to destabilize the House, cause an imbalance in the House. Because they see that despite the attacks and the destruction aiming at bringing down the reputation, integrity of the House, we remain solid and united,” he added.
Adiong emphasized that Dy goes “down to the level of the members of the House” and communicates with them casually. He also noted that the leadership is generally open to hearing concerns.
“Sabi ko nga any issues, any concerns, open naman ata on the leadership to at least hear and listen to whatever concerns that the media has. And that is something that can also be improved on. I’m not saying that– I cannot speak for the entirety of the House,” Adiong said.
ACT Teachers Partylist Representative Antonio Tinio, however, suggested the persistent coup rumors reflect a less consolidated ruling coalition, possibly affected by the previous year’s flood control corruption scandal.
“Siguro, I guess, ibig lang sabihin ito ay hindi consolidated ang ruling coalition unlike before. So malamang dulot na rin ito noong pagkayanig na epekto ng corruption issue, ng flood control scandal. So ang isang epekto talaga nito ay kinailangan ng mga pagbabago sa leadership. Pero mukhang hindi well-consolidated ang majority,” Tinio said.
The rumors may also stem from dissatisfaction among some lawmakers over the House General Appropriations Bill (HGAB) and related concerns about individual members, according to Adiong.
“I’m also wondering bakit. Una, sinasabi nila, ang allegation nila it’s because allegedly, mga Congress members daw are not satisfied with the HGAB. Tapos magkakaroon daw problema si Congresswoman Suansing, ‘di ba? So mayroon daw threat sa leadership, even majority leader under threat because of that concerns of individual congressmen,” he said.