BY DAVE SUAN ALBARADO
A House of Representatives committee reorganization this week left Bohol’s three-member congressional delegation on starkly different footing, stripping two lawmakers of committee chairmanships while elevating a third to one of the chamber’s most powerful posts, in a shakeup that has reignited debate over whether assignments were tied to how members voted on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Reps. Maria Vanessa Cadorna-Aumentado of Bohol’s second district and Alexie Besas-Tutor of the third district were removed from their respective committee chairmanships as part of the plenary-approved reorganization.
Both had voted against transmitting the articles of impeachment against Duterte to the Senate for trial.
By contrast, first district Rep. John Geesnell “Baba” Yap II, who voted in favor of impeachment, was named vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, the panel responsible for reviewing and shaping the national budget.
Yap was among 257 lawmakers who voted to send the impeachment articles to the Senate.
House leaders, including Speaker Bojie Dy, have not officially linked the committee changes to lawmakers’ impeachment votes, describing the reorganization as a routine internal matter.
But the timing, coming directly after one of the most divisive votes of the current Congress, has fueled speculation among political observers that the reshuffle rewarded lawmakers who supported impeachment and penalized those who opposed it.
Committee chairmanships and vice-chairmanships are considered leadership positions that traditionally serve at the discretion of the House majority and can be reassigned at any time.
These carry huge influence over hearings, legislative priorities and bill processing, though losing such posts does not affect a lawmaker’s status as an elected representative.
Aumentado, who had chaired the Committee on Ecology, addressed her removal in a Facebook post Wednesday, framing her departure as a graceful exit rather than a setback.
“My duty remains unchanged: to serve with integrity, courage, and honor. As your Chairperson of the Committee on Ecology, I now sign off with gratitude, humility, and an unwavering commitment to public service,” she said, adding that her work for constituents in the second district would continue without interruption.
Media reporting on the reshuffle characterized it as a political pattern, noting that all House members who voted against impeaching Duterte were removed from their committee chairmanships.
Tutor has not publicly stated that her removal was a direct consequence of her no impeachment vote.
Yap, for his part, publicly rejected the idea that his vote was the reason for his promotion.
In an interview with DyRD Inyong Alagad on August 4, Yap said he believes his colleagues based their decision to name him a vice chairperson of the Appropriations Committee on his competence and capacity to manage public finances, rather than on how he voted on impeachment.
In a Facebook post announcing the appointment, Yap thanked House leadership, party leaders and his congressional colleagues for their trust, calling the Appropriations post “a very big responsibility and challenge” given that the committee reviews, evaluates and prepares the national budget to ensure government funds go toward the right programs, projects and services.
He noted the position gives him a larger role in supporting not only Bohol’s first district but the country as a whole, and comes on top of his role as assistant majority leader and his other committee assignments.
Under the new lineup, Yap holds vice chairmanships on the Committees on Social Services, Public Works and Highways, and Visayas Development. He also remains a member of the Committees on Legislative Franchises, Public Order and Safety, Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, Games and Amusement, and Tourism.
Yap said that with his elevation to the Appropriations Committee — helmed by Rep. Mikaela “Mika” Suansing of Nueva Ecija — he plans to make courtesy calls to Suansing, as well as to mayors and barangay captains across his district, to discuss projects and programs for the remainder of this year and for 2027.
He said he would push to have infrastructure and development projects requested by his constituents included in the 2027 national budget.
Among the projects Yap said he is prioritizing for Tagbilaran City and the rest of the first district are covered courts, barangay halls, road concreting, health facilities and other infrastructure projects.
He singled out the Bato bridge in Maribojoc as an immediate priority, saying the structure has inconvenienced residents after its approach was damaged, rendering it impassable to all types of vehicles.
Yap said the Department of Public Works and Highways has committed an additional P92 million pesos in emergency funding to complete the bridge this year.
He also said he expects bidding to be completed this year for the third Panglao-Tagbilaran Connector bridge, a project funded by the French government.
The developments mark a notable divergence in fortunes for Bohol’s congressional delegation less than a week apart.
Aumentado and Tutor, both of whom opposed impeachment, lost chairmanships they had held; Yap, who supported it, gained a vice chairmanship on one of the House’s most consequential panels alongside his existing leadership roles.
The impeachment case against Duterte, stemming from allegations involving her handling of confidential funds and other accusations she has denied, has divided House members since articles of impeachment were approved earlier this year and forwarded to the Senate for trial.
The proceedings remain pending, and the political fallout continues to reshape alliances within Congress.
Critics of the committee reorganization argue that leadership changes following major political votes risk creating the perception that lawmakers are being rewarded or punished based on their positions, regardless of official explanations.
Supporters of House leadership counter that committee assignments are internal organizational matters that fall within the discretion of the majority coalition and are not, by rule, tied to any single vote.
Political observers in Bohol said the contrasting outcomes for the province’s three representatives have drawn particular attention locally, given that all three lawmakers represent adjoining districts within the same province but landed on opposite sides of the reshuffle.
It remains unclear whether additional committee changes or realignments affecting other lawmakers will follow in the coming months as the Senate impeachment trial proceeds.