Rep. Wilbert Lee faces ethics complaint for ‘aggression’ during budget debate

MANILA, Philippines — Two lawmakers filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Wilbert Lee on Monday, October 14, after he had allegedly subjected them to “acts of aggression” during the House plenary debates on the proposed 2025 budget. 

Rep. Stella Quimbo (Marikina, 2nd District) and Rep. Angelica “Nikka” Co (BHW Partylist), serving as budget sponsors for the Department of Health (DOH), submitted the complaint against Lee (AGRI Partylist) to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges.  

Lee had been persistent in pressing DOH and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. for better benefit packages to reduce out-of-pocket expenses. 

His 30-minute interpellation on September 23 raised concerns about these packages, leading to the deferral of the DOH’s budget deliberation to September 25, the final day of discussions.

Lee attempted to suspend the plenary debates once more on September 25 but failed to do so. 

What happened? During the session, just as Rep. Paul Daza (Northern Samar, 1st District) moved to terminate the plenary debates for the agency’s budget, Lee quickly grabbed the microphone in protest.

However, Lee’s actions failed to stop the motion. He was only able to say, in Filipino, “Is this how we do things here?” 

In a statement, Quimbo described what she and Co had seen Lee do even before he attempted to defer the budget again. 

Quimbo’s perspective

While Daza was conducting his interpellation, Quimbo said that Lee repeatedly “pointed his finger” at the budget sponsors “with force,” noting that this occurred around 6:30 p.m. 

“Nikka Co and I were subjected to acts of aggression by Rep. Wilbert Lee. While standing at podium number 3, Rep. Lee pointed his finger at us repeatedly and with force and later on, moved towards,” Quimbo said in a statement.

Feeling physically threatened by Lee’s behavior, Quimbo said she instinctively hid behind the podium for her safety. 

“From my perspective, his actions, particularly, his moving forward with his hand and eye movement — were an attempt to assault,” she said.

Following the termination of the budget hearing, Quimbo said it was evident in the livestream how deeply affected she and Co were, as they both cried.

In the September 25 livestream of the House of Representatives, Quimbo was seen hugging Co from behind while another individual rubbed Quimbo’s back as if they were comforting each other.

“Right after the termination of the DOH budget hearing, we cried among the sponsors. Those were not tears of joy, as many assumed, but tears of fear,” Quimbo said in a mix of English and Filipino. 

On interpellation opportunities. Quimbo added that Lee, speaking in Filipino, also said, “If you don’t let me speak, I will cause trouble,” despite already having his interpellation on September 23.

Quimbo clarified that she and Co, both vice chairs of the House appropriations committee, do not have the authority to decide which lawmakers will interpellate. 

She added that it is the minority that organizes the interpellators, while the Committee on Rules is responsible for managing the proceedings.

As budget sponsors, she said, their only responsibility is to answer all questions from interpellators during the plenary sessions. 

Disrespecting women in the workplace

However, Lee’s actions were not only viewed as an issue of unparliamentary or inappropriate behavior during congressional hearings. Quimbo emphasized that this is a clear case of disrespect toward women in the workplace.

“As women in the workplace, we should not be intimidated. This is the first time I’ve experienced bullying from a man in Congress,” she said in Filipino.

The budget sponsor explained that a lawmaker may issue a point of order should they have an issue to raise. There are also other microphones in the plenary, she added. 

“There are also rules regarding how many times one can interpellate during a budget hearing, as well as rules on how to appeal to the presiding officer,” Quimbo said in a mix of English and Filipino.

As spliced videos of Quimbo and Co crying “tears of joy” circulated online, the lawmaker said that misinformation “should not be used to attack anyone” and that the videos represent a deliberate effort to discredit or malign individuals.

In a separate statement, Co demanded a “sincere public apology” from Lee and that the social media posts spreading false information about the budget sponsors should be taken down. 

Lee immediately responded to the two lawmakers’ statements, saying in a video sent to reporters that he never intended to hurt or bully. 

He continued to assert that his action “was brought upon his impassioned advocacy” to have the DOH and PhilHealth commit to lowering Filipinos’ out-of-pocket medical expenses. 

Lee said he would share his perspective on the incident with the ethics committee once summoned. 

Before today’s filing of an ethics complaint against him, Lee had submitted a letter dated September 26 addressed to Rep. Elizaldy Co (AKO BICOL Partylist) apologizing for his demeanor. 

RELATED: House lawmaker seeks to file ethics complaint vs Wilbert Lee

The ethics complaint cited four witnesses of the interaction between Quimbo, Co and Lee. These were Rep. Jose “Bong” Teves Jr. (TGP Partylist), Rep. Ma. Lucile Nava (Guimaras, Lone District), Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and PhilHealth President Emmanuel Ledesma Jr.