AKBAYAN party-list Rep. Walden Bello said Thursday he resigned from the House effective March 19 over his party’s continuing support for President Benigno Aquino III, whom he accuses of being responsible for the death of 44 police commandos in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, on Jan. 25.
The 44 were killed during an encounter with Muslim rebels as they were pursuing the terrorist Zulkifli Abdhir alias Marwan.
Bello said his resignation was accepted by the Office of the Speaker Wednesday night.
He said he personally handed over his resignation to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. He maintained that President Aquino III must be held accountable for the death of the SAF 44.
“The President should admit responsibility,” he said.
“In fact, that is what the Filipino people have been demanding from him. It might be late but better late than never.”
Bello said one of the flaws of the President was his stubbornness. Another was his loyalty to his friends.”
“He is very loyal to subordinates who are either corrupt or incompetent,” Bello said.
“The Cabinet is like a fraternity. Instead of competence, instead of considerations based on rational discussion, loyalty is what counts.”
Bello made his statement even as Malacañang said there was no need to conduct a loyalty check on its allies after Bello’s withdrawal of support over Aquino’s handling of the Mamasapano debacle.
“[Bello’s decision] is an internal matter for the Akbayan party-list group. We do not see a need for a loyalty check,” Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said.
“Bello’s decision was personal, and this does not mean our alliance with Akbayan has weakened because they continue to serve the government and they remain an ally of the Aquino administration.”
Bello earlier said he could no longer support Aquino because of his “brazen cover-up” of his role in the Mamasapano tragedy.
“I am withdrawing support from the President because I can no longer support a President who is washing his hands of responsibility in a mission he planned and executed. I cannot support a man whose behavior is a disgrace,” he said.
Bello was supposed to deliver a privilege speech last Wednesday but the session was adjourned a few minutes after it was opened at 4 pm due to lack of quorum.
Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano, one of the members of the Saturday Group, said Bello’s withdrawal of support for the President “weakened” Aquino.
Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate said Bello’s resignation showed that even Aquino’s rabid allies could no longer stomach his “brazen lies, cacique arrogance and atrocious incompetence.”
But House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales Jr. denied Alejano’s view that Bello’s resignation weakened Aquino.
He said Bello’s replacement would be sitting as soon as Akbayan party-list’s next nominee was proclaimed.
He said Bello’s resignation as representative of Akbayan was between him and the party.
“That’s internal to them, but he is a big loss to Congress because he is a very intelligent congressman,” Gonzales said.
Bello is the first nominee of the Akbayan party-list and Rep. Barry Gutierrez is the second representative.
The Akbayan party-list group is considered a power bloc in the Aquino administration as its stalwarts are among the President’s appointees, and they include Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Ronald Llamas, Commission on Human Rights chairwoman Loretta Ann Rosales and Philippine Health Insurance Corp. board member Risa Hontiveros.
In his draft privilege speech, Bello said Mamasapano was “a deadly acid eating the presidency.”
“The President seemed more interested in expressing his regret at the resignation of General Alan Purisima as [Philippine National Police] chief than in getting at the truth. He consistently avoided the question of command responsibility for the mission and its consequences,” Bello said.
He also slammed the President’s move to meet with House leaders to convince them that he was “fed lies” about the incident.
“Mamasapano is a deadly acid eating the presidency,” Bello said.
“The president is engaging in a brazen cover-up of his responsibility and that of his trusted aide Purisima. This is the latest development in the shrinking of a man I once admired. This man, I must conclude sadly, knows nothing about command responsibility or of honor.”