SAN JACINTO, Pangasinan-House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr is like the famous Pinoy Big Brother in taking care of his six Housemates who are charged with rebellion.

De Venecia told this writer when he came here Friday to distribute Philhealth cards to indigent people that “for the first time in Philippine history, we were able to achieve something dramatic and the same time peaceful” regarding the plight of five members of the House who are staying at his ante room in his office until the preliminary investigation of their case is completed.

Accused of conspiring with Magdalo renegade military officers and the New People’s Army (NPA) to oust Mrs. Arroyo were Party-List Reps. Crispin Beltran, Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza, Teodoro Casiño, Joel Virador and Rafael Mariano.

De Venecia said “we were able to ensure dignified and humane treatment for the congressmen and congresswomen and at the same time prove the majesty of the law.

"I have to take care of my Housemates, not inmates”
de Venecia said.

He added that they are served breakfast, lunch, merienda and dinner and their families are free to visit them anytime.

He said their stay there will remain until the preliminary investigation is completed and when the Department of Justice and the courts will decide whether they will issue a warrant of arrest.

He said once the warrant of arrest is issued, he is duty bound to turn them over to the law. He said he was able to ensure their safety by taking them into the custody of the House instead of them going into the mountains or going underground where their lives and their safety will be at stake.

“ I was able to ensure their safety, and secondly their civil liberties and their human rights are achieved,” he said.
By bringing them under the protective custody of the House, he said he is also proving to the nation that no congressman is above the law.

“So I’m caught between the devil and the deep blue sea trying to balance the interest of protecting the majesty of the law and at the same time protecting the individual human rights, civil liberties of congressmen,” he said.

He said “the Constitution says that you cannot be arrested if you are a congressman when Congress is in session and provided the penalties six years and below but in this case the penalty is much, much more because the charge is rebellion and rebellion is a continuing offense”.

The accused refused to go through an inquest and they insisted on a preliminary investigation which was granted but de Venecia said he asked them to sign a waiver of detention.

“So imagine if they went underground or went to the mountains, that would be more difficult because we will be spending great amounts of money to chase them or capture them. There could be incidents, there could be shoot to kill orders, there could be accidents,” de Venecia said.

In the case of Rep. Crispin Beltran who is suffering from hypertension, he said he was transferred to the Philippine National Police Hospital which is quite modern with refrigerator and television set and he is allowed visitors’ rights. He might also bring his own doctor, de Venecia added.

De Venecia acknowledged the great assistance of his colleagues in the House, both from the minority and majority, to come up with this protocol.

“So I have done everything humanly possible,” he said.