HOUSE Deputy Majority Leader for Communications and ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo is still hoping that Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva will see the light and retract his statement that belittled the status and significance of members of the House of Representatives.

As a party-list lawmaker himself, Tulfo said he is disappointed in what Villanueva said, adding that his father, CIBAC Rep. Bro Eddie Villanueva, was among those he belittled when he said you cannot compare senators to House members because the former obtained more votes during elections.

“I was really surprised kay (Sen. Villanueva), ‘yung tatay niya si Bro. Eddie Villanueva is with us sa partylist coalition kaya medyo nagulat lahat ng members ng partylist and nag usap-usap kami last week bakit daw nasabi ni Joel Villanueva yun eh tatay niya nasa party-list din,” Tulfo said.

Earlier, Villanueva addressed the Senate plenary where he said that senators receive at least 15 million votes and that party-list and district receive only thousands, so one cannot compare “apples to oranges.”

“E yung grupo nila na CIBAC is a party-list din, eh sa kanila ‘yun. So bakit, baka siguro nadala lang ng emosyon niya. Nagkaroon siya ng privilege speech I think ang pinapaliwanag niya it was just taken out of context. Pero malinaw kasi eh, na-quote siya, may mga camera naman,” Tulfo said.

“Siguro nadala lang siya ng emotion niya pero hopefully i-retract naman niya sana ‘yun kasi parang nakaka-insulto as being party-list representatives, we were not just put in the office by anybody, by some government official. We were also voted,” he added.

Tulfo explained that in an election, only 12 senators will be voted so it was natural for them to obtain millions of votes, but party-lists are voted in dozens.

“Siguro kung 12 lang din ang pipiliin na party-list, I believe aabot din ang boto ng party-list sa 16… 20 million, I think so,” Tulfo said.

“Ilan ang grupo ng partylist dito, 30 mahigit, sila dose lang. Kung pagsama-samahin mo yun siguro makukuha din ng 16 million (votes) ang isang party-list (group).”

Tulfo said he has not talked to Rep. Bro Eddie about the statements made by his son.

“Eh being the Number 1 party-list in Congress right now, because we have three representatives, medyo apektado ang lahat, medyo masama ang loob. May mga district congressman, nagsalita for the party-list. So what we are saying is pare-pareho naman tayong binoto ng tao,” he said.

Villanueva has been getting flak for the statements he made against party-list and district representatives.

Deputy Speaker and Quezon Province Rep. David “Jayjay” Suarez earlier said the House of Representatives will never forget the statements made by Villanueva.

“Hindi tama ‘yung ginawa niyang pagmamaliit sa mga miyembro ng Mababang Kapulungan. Hindi tama ‘yung sinabi nyang district representatives lang kayo, partylist lang kayo, at kami nationally elected kami,” said Suarez.

“Hindi po tama ‘yun, especially where the bicameral system of the Legislative branch wherein were both co-equal … Ako ang motto ko na lang pagdating sa mga senador, ‘we will never forget,’” he added.

He said several members of the House were genuinely hurt by Villanueva’s statements, some were even prompted to contemplate on withdrawing support for the senator and declaring him “persona non grata.”

“Sinasabi nila, they have 15 million votes, sabi ni Sen. Joel. So be it kung ‘yun ang sa tingin niya. Pero alalahanin nya na ang Kongreso, ang mga congressman pagdating sa district, lagi nilang hinihingian ng tulong at darating ang araw hihingi siya (Villanueva) ng tulong,” said Ako Bicol Rep, Zaldy Co, also the chair of the House appropriations panel.