📷: Bicol Saro Partylist Rep. Terry Ridon
The House of Representatives has elected Bicol Saro Partylist Representative Terry Ridon as chairperson of the Committee on Public Accounts, rounding out the leadership of the reconstituted “Quad Comm 2.0,” a key bloc of four committees tasked with probing state-sponsored violence, illegal drug operations, and organized crime syndicates.
A lawyer from the University of the Philippines and a graduate of Harvard University in public policy and business, Ridon joins fellow committee chairs in the revived coalition:
– Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. (Human Rights, Manila 6th District)
– Rep. Rolando Valeriano (Public Order and Safety, Manila 2nd District)
– Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores (Dangerous Drugs, Bukidnon 2nd District)
The revival of the Quad Committee marks a renewed commitment under the 20th Congress, led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, to reinvestigate unresolved cases of state-backed violence, corruption, and criminal impunity — many first exposed in the 19th Congress and reignited by recent disappearances linked to illegal cockfighting.
Ridon’s appointment further empowers the Public Accounts Committee to probe financial and operational irregularities tied to abuses of public trust and government authority.
In the same plenary session, several lawmakers were elected to lead both standing and special House committees:
– JC Abalos (4Ps Party-list): Ethics and Privileges
– Florencio Miraflores (Aklan 2nd District): Local Government
– Cheeno Miguel Almario (Davao Oriental 2nd District): Social Services
– Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. (Rizal 3rd District): Flagship Programs and Projects
– Kristine Alexie Tutor (Bohol 3rd District): Globalization and WTO
– Mark Cojuangco (Pangasinan 2nd District): Nuclear Energy
– Alexander Pimentel (Surigao del Sur 2nd District): Strategic Intelligence
– Alfelito Bascug (Agusan del Sur 1st District): Persons with Disability
– Maria Angela Garcia (Bataan 3rd District): West Philippine Sea
The House also formalized its minority leadership structure:
– Senior Deputy Minority Leader: Edgar Erice (Caloocan City 2nd District)
– Deputy Minority Leaders: Include Reps. Presley De Jesus (PHILRECA Partylist), Sergio Dagooc (APEC Partylist), Kaka Bag-ao (Dinagat Islands), Stephen James Tan (Samar, 1st District), Leila De Lima (ML Partylist), Perci Cendaña (AKBAYAN Partylist), Antonio Tinio (ACT TEACHERS Partylist), Jesus Manuel “Bong” Suntay (Quezon City, 4th District), Jernie Jett Nisay (PUSONG PINOY Partylist), Reynolds Michael Tan (Samar, 2nd District), and Cielo Krisel Lagman (Albay, 1st District).
– Assistant Minority Leaders: Include Reps. Christopher Sheen Gonzales (Eastern Samar), Renee Louise Co (KABATAAN Partylist), Chel Diokno (AKBAYAN Partylist), Robert Nazal (BH Partylist), Niko Raul Daza (Northern Samar, 1st District), JP Padiernos (GP Partylist), Audrey Kay Zubiri (Bukidnon, 3rd District), and Iris Marie Demesa Montes (4K Partylist).
Speaker Romualdez reaffirmed the vital role of the minority bloc in upholding institutional checks and balances, fostering transparency, and ensuring the democratic process. (JCNE)
