Neri Colmenares⚖️ #BayanMunaPartylist

On 22 April, the @IntlCrimCourt Appeals Chamber is due to deliver its decision on former #Philippines President #RodrigoDuterte's jurisdictional challenge. Neri Colmenares (@ColmenaresPH), #HumanRights #lawyer and IBAHRI Council Member, analyses the case: tinyurl.com/2yccwvvy

COLMENARES KAY DIGONG: HARAPIN MO NA ANG ICC EXCLUSIVE: Neri Colmenares on #BilyoBitsandBuzz Former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said he prefers not to preempt the public prosecutors in the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte, but pointed out similarities between the perceived delay in her trial and former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bid for interim release at the ICC — both, he suggested, raising concerns over attempts to stall accountability.

[ICYMI] Bayan Muna kay Pres. Marcos - Ang hustisya at pananagutan ay hindi dapat isinasakripisyo para lamang sa katahimikan sa pulitika Nanindigan si dating Bayan Muna congressman Neri Colmenares na dapat itulak ng administrasyon ang impeachment at iba pang kaso laban sa mga Duterte. “Kung hindi haharapin ni Pangulong Marcos ang isyung ito ng buong tapang, hindi lang siya matatawag bilang isang mahinang lider, kundi maituturing na rin siyang kasabwat sa pagsasantabi ng hustisya para sa kapakinabangan ng iilang makapangyarihan.”

COLMENARES: COMELEC MUST PROSECUTE PERPETRATORS OF FAKE NEWS AND RED-TAGGING AGAINST BAYAN MUNA Former Bayan Muna Congressman and current Party Chairman Neri Colmenares today led the filing of a formal complaint at the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) against the widespread circulation of fake news claiming the disqualification of Bayan Muna from the May 12 elections and the coordinated red-tagging campaign featuring mock coffins and even fake 1000 peso bills in various parts of the country. "This is not just fake news; this is election sabotage," Colmenares declared. "The deliberate fabrication of COMELEC documents and press releases to mislead voters is a criminal offense that strikes at the very heart of our democratic process. We are filing this complaint to hold accountable those who seek to disenfranchise voters through deception and intimidation." Colmenares emphasized that the fake disqualification news is part of a broader, coordinated campaign to suppress progressive voices in the final days before the election. "Hindi lang ito simpleng kasinungalingan. Ito ay malinaw na tangkang dayain ang halalan sa pamamagitan ng pagpapalaganap ng pekeng impormasyon upang lituhin ang mga botante at harangan na makabalik ang Bayan Muna sa kongreso. "The appearance of mock coffins with our names in Quezon City, Tarlac, Bulacan, Albay, and other areas, alongside this fake news campaign, reveals the desperate lengths to which our opponents will go to prevent the people's voices from being heard in Congress." The complaint filed by Bayan Muna details multiple instances of disinformation, including fabricated COMELEC resolutions, manipulated news articles, and social media posts falsely claiming the party-list has been disqualified or designated as a terrorist organization. "We have documented evidence that this is a black propaganda campaign, not random acts of misinformation," Colmenares stated. "Ang mga pekeng dokumento, ang mga kabaong, pekeng pera at ang mga red-tagging posters ay may iisang pinagmulan at layunin – ang hadlangan ang mga progresibong partido na makabalik sa Kongreso. Pero hindi kami titiklop sa mga partylist ng dinastiya at mayayaman dahil ilaban naming baguhin ang party list law para sumara ito sa mga mayayaman. Hindi kami titiklop sa mga human rights violators sa military at sa pulis at papaimbestigahan namin ang EJK at pang-aabuso nila. Hindi kami titiklop sa mga abusado at korap sa gobyerno at kikilatisin namin ang mga pagnanakaw sa budget “ he said.

Bayan Muna Files Memorandum of Arguments in the #Philhealth Case, asking for the return of Php 60 B to Philhealth and Php 104 B to PDIC | Asks Court to limit prohibit the Bicameral Committee from inserting new items in the budget Former Bayan Muna congressman Neri Colmenares today said that “Bayan Muna has filed its Memorandum of Argument in the case of Bayan Muna et. al. vs. Marcos et. al. asking the Supreme Court to declare as unconstitutional the insertions of the Bicameral Conference Committee (BCC) in the 2024 GAA and the return of the Php 449 billion inserted in the Unprogrammed Appropriations, the PHP 60 billion taken from PhilHealth and the Php 104 billion taken from the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC),” Bayan Muna Chairman Neri Colmenares, who argued before the Supreme Court several times in this case, further said that “We also questioned the issuance of Presidential Certification of Urgenc,y which resulted in the rushed passage in the Second and Third Reading of the 2024 GAA despite the absence of any public calamity or emergency. We argued that this abuse of presidential certification of emergency, not because there was any emergency, but only to evade congressional scrutiny of the budget, only paves the way for the insertion of hundreds of billions in the budget. Worse, after rushing the approval of HB 8980 or the 2024 general appropriations bill on September 27, 2024, the House suddenly goes and recess and only transmits the approved bill to the Senate on November 4, 2023—belying the claim that there was an emergency that necessitates the immediate enactment of the certified bill. We also included in the MoA that the creation of the 'small committee' to amend the budget already approved by the House on Third Reading is unconstitutional." “The Bayan Muna Memorandum specifically prayed for the following from the Supreme Court to : Nullify the insertions of the Bilateral Conference Committee (BCC) for grave abuse of discretion and for violation of Sec. 1, Section 26 (2) and Section 24 of Article VI of the 1987 Constitution, specifically: To declare as unconstitutional and void the Php 449.5 Billion inserted by the BCC in the Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA) of RA. No. 11975 or the 2024 GAA. Bayan Muna also sought the nullification of section 1 (d), Chapter XLIII of the 2024 GAA which provides that GOCCs can be the source of funding for the UA. Bayan Muna also seeks the nullification of DOF Circular 003-2024 and the return of PHP 60 Billion taken from PhilHealth and Php 104 billion taken from the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) to both GOCCs respectively.” Bayan Muna also asked for the nullification of the Presidential Certification of Urgency for certifying as urgent the 2024 General Appropriations Bill absent the existence of any calamity or emergency, and for the Court to issue the constitutional parameters for the President’s exercise of the power to certify a bill urgent namely: (i) such certification must clearly specify the nature of the emergency or public calamity addressed, explain how the certified bill meets said calamity or emergency and why said emergency or public calamity requires the immediate enactment of a bill (ii) Bills duly certified urgent by the President must undergo Second and Third Readings even if not in separate days, and the “printed copies” of the bill in its final form must be distributed to the members of Congress at the time it is subject to a vote on Third Reading to apprise members of the contents of the bill they are approving. Bayan Muna also asked the Supreme Court to issue the constitutional parameters for the practice of the bicameral conference committee so that it will work within the confines of the 1987 Constitution, specifically that: A bicameral conference committee cannot insert a new provision not found in the bills approved by both Houses of Congress such as the Php 449 billion worth of projects and Section 1 (d) on the diversion of GOCC funds. We ask the Court to order that the power of the Bicam is only to reconcile differing provisions in the House and the Senate bills and not tackle provisions that does not need to be harmonized. The BCC deliberations must be open to the public and the media. It must be conducted in a government office such as the House of Representatives or the Senate, and not in expensive and inaccessible hotels and resorts like the Manila Golf and Country Club in Makati. There must be a transcript of the proceedings of the BCC and the same must be accessible to the members of Congress as well as the public and media. The report of the BCC must undergo deliberations and be subject to questions and clarifications by the members of their respective Houses and not merely ratified through a rushed viva voce votes of ayes and nays.” “Considering that PhilHealth has not fully covered the medical needs and other benefits of its members and has in fact not paid many hospitals, we ask the Supreme Court to order the return of billions of pesos diverted from Philhealth and PDIC only to be spent on the favorite projects of legislators in the Unprogrammed Appropriations” explained Colmenares. “If we win this petition then Bicam meetings can no longer be held in expensive hotels and golf clubs but must be held in Congress to make it accessible to the media and the public. We also demanded that there should be transcripts of the Bicam Meetings so the public will be aware which legislator inserted projects and questionable provisions in the GAA” said Colmenares. “Win or lose in this election, Bayan Muna will always guard the budget and the spending of public funds from mis-priority and corruption. We have filed a case against the Maharlika Corporation, which will have its Oral Arguments in July, against the misuse of Confidential funds by VP Sara Duterte, and we will also question the irregularities in the 2025 GAA. Bayan Muna does not care whether the Respondent is from the Duterte or the Marcos administration—kung tama ang ginawa ng president, e di tama. Pero pag mali naman hindi kami mag aatubiling kasuhan at tuligsain ang anumang paglustay ng pondo ng tao. That is the function of Congress and the legislators—to provide checks and balance to the Executive and not be beholden to whoever is in Malacanang”, Colmenares concluded. ###

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