Alvarez: I deserve to be punished 

MANILA — The House of Representatives has censured Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez for “disorderly behavior” over his call for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to withdraw its support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Censure is a form of reprimand by the House expressing severe disapproval of the act complained of.

The lower chamber downgraded the recommendation of the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges to suspend Alvarez for 60 days. 

Camiguin Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo moved for the reduction of the penalty to a censure, saying the severity of a suspension is “disproportionate” to the nature and context of Alvarez’s conduct.

House panel has 'unanimous' recommendation on complaint against Alvarez

The move to censure Alvarez had the support of 186 House members while five voted against it, and seven abstained. 

“After a thorough and extensive deliberations on the allegations and defenses of the parties and with observance of due process and fairplay to both sides, the Committee on Ethics and Privileges finds that Rep. Pantaleon D. Alvarez has indeed uttered unparliamentary and inappropriate statements, which reflected negatively upon the dignity, integrity and reputation of the House of Representatives as an institution and of the members of the House individually and collectively,” House Committee on Ethics and Privileges Chairperson Felimon Espares of COOP NATCCO party-list said.

Romualdo noted that the committee had acknowledged that Alvarez's remarks were " emotional expressions rather than intentional calls for actual harm or further political consequences" and that "censure would suffice in addressing the misconduct without being excessively harsh."

House committee to deliberate on ethics complaint against Alvarez

“Censure serves as a sufficient measure to address that misconduct without unduly impacting the ability to serve his constituents. This balanced approach ensures accountability while allowing for continued legislative contributions,” Senior Deputy Minority Leader Raul Daza of Northern Samar said.

Sought for comment, Alvarez said: “I deserve to be punished”.

The complaint against the former House Speaker was filed by Tagum City Mayor Rey Uy, who alleged that Alvarez made “libelous” statements against local officials, and issued “seditious” remarks during a rally in Tagum City last month.

But Alvarez had denied his statements were seditious, asserting that they were covered by the right to free speech.