SMNI host apologizes for fallacious claims on Speaker’s journey bills

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MANILA, Philippines — After insisting that he was solely questioning whether or not or not Home Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez had a P1.8 billion journey expense, the host of a Sonshine Media Community Worldwide (SMNI) program finally apologized for any hurt that his statements have made.

On the finish of the Home committee on legislative franchises’ listening to on Thursday, Laban Kasama ang Bayan host and self-proclaimed former insurgent Jeffrey Celiz mentioned he’s taking accountability for the hurt that his statements might have brought on to Romualdez and the complete Home of Representatives.

“And once more I’d repeat my reply to the query of Congressman [David] Suarez earlier: will we take accountability for that inadvertence and the failure to conduct correct vetting of the supply and data? Sure, and we’d repeat this,” Celiz informed the panel.

“And if we have to repeat our enchantment of understanding, Congressman [Aurelio] Gonzales, sir, at Mr. Chairman, concerning to what occurred the place the integrity of Speaker Martin Romualdez and of Congress as an establishment was affected, I take full accountability in behalf of this system’s anchor and in my private capability, and even from the station, to take accountability,” he added.

Celiz additionally mentioned that it’s a arduous lesson to study that he might need been a sufferer of a “kuryente,” which in journalistic parlance means being fed with fallacious data.

“This can be a arduous lesson realized that we may be subjected to and be affected if we don’t do what known as due diligence, prudence, and propriety within the supply verification,” he famous.

Early into the committee listening to, Celiz maintained earlier than Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel that the tone that he used throughout this system, the place he claimed that Romualdez spent P1.8 billion for journey, was meant to ask for clarification.

“The tone of supply in the entire context of this system is questioning, clarification, as a result of we need to make clear issues of public curiosity which are so critical, like the data given to us. So we’ve got not made any conclusion there,” Celiz claimed.

However Suarez, whose speech on the plenary session on Tuesday finally led to the committee being requested to train its oversight capabilities, famous that dropping such large statements can lead to tarnishing an individual’s repute.

Suarez additionally confused that the best way that Celiz spoke — saying that “for Speaker Martin Romualdez, his journey price is at P1.8 billion, P1.8 billion for nearly one 12 months solely” — doesn’t sound like somebody asking questions.

“There’s a accountability in your half, Ka Eric, as a result of in the event you see a quantity that large, on the very least you need to ask or you need to inquire with the Home Secretary Normal. That’s too large of a quantity, proper? And if unusual individuals have heard of this — that the Speaker spent P1.8 billion — that may destroy somebody’s repute,” Suarez mentioned.

“However you have been blatant sufficient to return out on TV and say it simple. And the dialogue was — if I keep in mind it proper — you mentioned this after which Usec [Lorraine] Badoy requested ‘How do you spend P1.8 billion, that’s such an enormous quantity, perhaps he doesn’t go dwelling anymore.’ You then chimed in, ‘And based mostly on my supply, it’s not solely P1.8 billion, as a result of in the event you would come with the entourage, it will attain P2 billion.’ That isn’t a query,” he added.

SMNI is presently in scorching waters after Home Secretary Normal Reginald Velasco confirmed that as an alternative of P1.8 billion as Celiz claimed, Romualdez and his workplace solely used P4.34 million for overseas journey.

When Romualdez’s journey bills are mixed with the Home lawmakers’ and different secretariat officers’ overseas journeys, they solely spent a mixed P39.60 million from January 2023 to October 2023.

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