MANILA, Philippines —Malacañang on Tuesday said the ongoing dispute between Budget Secretary Ben Diokno and some lawmakers cannot be categorized as a Constitutional crisis. It’s a question of how you treat a fellow (government) worker,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing. ADVERTISEMENT“We are not questioning the authority to question Mr. Diokno, what we were complaining against is the manner by which the Question Hour was conducted – he was mocked in that Question Hour,” he added. Earlier, the Palace and other Cabinet members slammed what they called the “unparliamentary behavior” of some lawmakers after Diokno was “disrespected” during last week’s “Question Hour” on the alleged irregularities in the 2019 budget. However, President Duterte supposedly barred Diokno from attending the Congressional probe.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 18, 2018 06:22 UTC