Former Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser C. Pangandaman will be formally sworn in as a party-list representative this week by House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte despite questions over his eligibility to the post.
A lawmaker and a former labor official claimed that Pangandaman鈥檚 assumption of the seat vacated by his brother, former AA-Kasosyo Representative Solaiman Pangandaman, was a mockery of the party-list system and a ploy to obtain parliamentary immunity from the corruption charges to be filed against him.
But in a text message, Belmonte said: 鈥淵es, there is no reason not to (take his oath). I even talked with Comelec (Commission on Elections) Chair (Sixto) Brillantes on this.鈥�
House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II also said that a number of party-list groups have changed their nominees mid-way during their term.
But Akbayan party-list Representative Walden Bello said Pangandaman鈥檚 entry into Congress was 鈥渘ot acceptable.鈥�
Salic Dumarpa, former commissioner of the National Labor Relations Commission, claimed that Pangandaman was making a 鈥渕ockery鈥� of the party-list elections by 鈥渏umping鈥� over all the five nominees of AA-Kasosyo listed in the May 2010 elections.
Dumarpa said that Pangandaman was obviously rushing to get a seat in Congress in the belief it would provide him with 鈥減arliamentary immunity鈥� from corruption charges to be slapped against him.
Suspended Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao Governor Zaldy Ampatuan had pointed to Pangandaman as the bagman of former President Macapagal-Arroyo.
Dumarpa had earlier complained to Belmonte that Pangandaman was not eligible to be a representative since he was not a nominee of AA-Kasosyo in the May 2010 elections as he was still a member of the Arroyo Cabinet until President Aquino took over on June 30.聽 Gil Cabacungan Jr.