Solons tussle over mic during plenary debates on DOH’s 2025 budget

Tensions rose at the House of Representatives on Wednesday when one lawmaker interrupted another during the plenary debate on the Department of Health's (DOH) proposed P297.6-billion budget for 2025.

Northern Samar 1st District Representative Paul Daza was wrapping up his interpellation, as no minority lawmakers wanted to ask more questions, when Agri Party-list Representative Wilbert Lee grabbed the microphone from him.

“I would like to thank the Department of Health officials who spent essentially two days with us. Thank you so much for addressing many, if not most of our concerns. Mr. Speaker, having no more members of the Minority…” Daza was saying before Lee went up to the lectern and took hold of one of the microphones. 

“No, Mr. Speaker, Madam Sponsor, no,” Lee pleaded as Daza tried to wrench the microphone back.

This prompted Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo 1st District Representative Janette Garin to hurriedly proceeded with the motion to terminate the period of interpellations.

"Mr. Speaker, we join the minority in their motion to terminate the period of debate. So moved, Mr. Speaker!" she said, speaking very quickly and raising her voice over Lee's.

This in turn led to Lee declaring, “Ganyan na ba ang mangyayari ngayon dito sa atin? [Is this what's happening to us now?] Mr. Speaker, let me question the quorum,” he said.

The House presided by Deputy Speaker and Cebu 5th District Representative Duke Frasco still carried Garin’s motion.

The lower chamber on Tuesday deferred the plenary deliberations on DOH’s budget after Lee felt unsatisfied with the agency’s responses to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s (PhilHealth) benefit increases. 

The House resumed the deliberations on Wednesday hours before it approved on third and final reading the P6.352-trillion national budget for next year, after President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. certified its passage as urgent.

Tensions have run high in both chambers of Congress in recent days, with Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Juan Miguel Zubiri almost coming to blows on Tuesday night over a resolution on Taguig's EMBO barangays and Congressmen Joseph Stephen Paduano and Rodante Marcoleta nearly getting physical as well over a House committee's questioning of the Office of the Vice President's proposed budget. — BM, GMA Integrated News