MANILA, Philippines – The conflict within the Kabayan party continues to escalate after Representative Harry Roque filed criminal charges against 12 of his party mates before the Department of Justice on Thursday, February 16.

Roque accused the following Kabayan members of violating his parliamentary immunity when they issued a resolution removing him from the party:

• Ron Salo, Kabayan 2nd nominee at the House of Representatives
• Joshua Sebastian, secretary-general
• Victor Caguimbal, Board of Trustees member
• Rex Tacda, Board of Trustees member
• Pedro Parrocho, Board of Trustees member
• Anthony Avelino, Board of Trustees member
• Jennis Nidea, Board of Trustees member
• Cesar Roy, Board of Trustees member
• Adrian Tuazon, Board of Trustees member
• Tito Marshall Fajardo, Board of Trustees member
• Eduardo Robles, Board of Trustees member
• Arnold Moralejo, Board of Trustees member 

In December 2016, Kabayan investigated Roque after he asked sexually laden questions to Senator Leila de Lima’s former lover and alleged bagman Ronnie Dayan during a House probe into the narcotics trade at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP). 

Roque protested that the 3-person panel that investigated him was formed by Salo himself. (READ: No, Kabayan, you can’t just kick out Harry Roque)

This probe triggered the legal dispute between Roque and Salo, with the two congressmen filing cases against each other.

On January 12, Kabayan’s Board of Trustees issued Resolution Number 2017-001 which removed Roque as the party’s first nominee at the House.  

Removal of party-list representatives, however, has to go through a process with the Commission on Elections. Roque already asked the poll body to nullify Kabayan’s resolution.

“All the above discussed acts are part of the scheme directed, concocted, and criminally devised against me by the Respondents, which culminated in the issuance of the Resolution Number 2017-001 dated 12 January 2017 and the Official Statement dated 24 January 2017,” said Roque in his complaint. 

“The acts of Respondents Salo and Sebastian, their co-Respondents Caguimbal, Tacda, Parrocho, Avelino, Nidea, Roy, Tuazon, Fajardo, Robles, Moralejo, and their cohorts, indubitably constitute the criminal offense of Violation of Parliamentary Immunity which is punishable under Article 145 of the Revised Penal Code,” he added.

Under the Revised Penal Code, any person who shall force, intimidate, threaten, or use fraud to prevent any member of the House from attending Congress proceedings shall be punished with 6 years and one day up to 12 years in prison. 

Roque had also filed an ethics complaint against De Lima on Thursday for supposedly conspiring with Salo to hide their alleged involvement in the NBP drug trade.

Read the full copy of Roque’s criminal complaint against his party mates below: 

– Rappler.com