Photo credit: Congress PH

It’s official. Marcelino Libanan will return as House Minority Leader, once again entrusted with the solemn role of fiscalizing government, that is, if silence can be considered fiscalization.

According to a House manifesto, he was chosen to lead “with honor, wisdom, and dedication.” Somewhere, the gods of irony are chuckling.

But before we applaud, let’s take a sober look at Libanan’s full political trajectory, his actual public record, the one his provincemates remembered well enough to reject him repeatedly for over a decade.

We said it last week, Libanan’s version of opposition is all for show. Now, Congress is about to hand him the title of Minority Leader again, as if silence deserves a reward.

THE POLITICAL TIMELINE: FROM PUBLIC OFFICE TO PUBLIC AMNESIA

1. Vice Governor Eastern Samar (1992 to 1995)

Libanan’s first brush with national attention came not from bold legislation, but from a case that reached the Supreme Court.

In 1993, he was preventively suspended by the Sandiganbayan for allegedly obstructing a duly elected provincial board member from assuming office, a violation of anti graft laws.

Even in his early career, controversies had already begun to surface, not for reform, but for maneuvering within the system.

2. District Congressman (1998 to 2007)

Libanan served three terms in Congress. One issue stood out, the fertilizer fund scandal under the 2004 Farm Inputs and Farm Implements Program.

In 2017, the Ombudsman found probable cause to file graft charges against Libanan and others for allegedly entering into direct contracts with an unlicensed supplier, bypassing public bidding.

The case was dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2024 not on the merits but due to inordinate delay. It is important to note that the dismissal was procedural. There was no definitive ruling clearing the facts.

3. Immigration Commissioner (2007 to 2010)

As Commissioner, Libanan oversaw the Alien Registration Project under a Build Operate Transfer arrangement.

Later, the Commission on Audit flagged the deal, stating the government may have lost P626.3 million in potential revenue due to questionable amendments.

COA issued a Notice of Charge, but reversed itself in 2022 on procedural grounds. This reversal did not contradict or nullify the original audit findings.

Both the COA and Ombudsman reversals came after Libanan’s political return. This reminds us that political comebacks can precede legal closure.

4. The Lost Decade (2010 to 2022)

After his stint at the Bureau of Immigration, Libanan ran twice in Eastern Samar, once for Governor and once for Congressman. He lost both times.

For 12 years, he was a political outsider, rejected by the same province that once propelled him to power. This was not just a break. It was a reckoning.

5. Partylist Congressman, 4Ps (2022 to Present)

Then came reinvention. Libanan returned to Congress via the 4Ps Partylist, a name strikingly similar to the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program although they are not officially connected.

The branding caused confusion. The DSWD flagged it. Watchdogs condemned it.

The COMELEC chairman acknowledged that voters were misled and pledged to fix partylist rules in the future.

This situation stood despite the issues raised. With no district campaign, no face to face reckoning with voters, and no clear accountability to a geographic constituency, Libanan quietly reentered Congress.

This time he did not have to answer to those who once voted him out.

THE ONLY MINORITY LEADER WHO WOULD RATHER SMILE THAN SCRUTINIZE

In the past four decades, we have seen principled contrarians and fearless critics in the role of Minority Leader such as Francisco Sumulong, Ronaldo Zamora, and Edcel Lagman.

Their job was to challenge, not conform.

Libanan may be the only Minority Leader in recent memory who has not publicly opposed any major initiative of Speaker Martin Romualdez.

He is often first to pose beside the Speaker but rarely first to question the budget.

Strong words on budget bloat? None.

Pushback on confidential funds? Silent.

Scrutiny of pork barrel and pet bills? Missing.

A selfie with the Speaker? Swift and smiling.

In the past, the Speaker and Minority Leader stood on opposite ends of the chamber not out of hostility but principle.

Today, we have a Minority Leader whose most visible role is standing beside the Speaker instead of standing across from him.

FULL CIRCLE: FROM REJECTED TO REWARDED

Let us connect the dots.

Suspended as Vice Governor. As Congressman, charged over the fertilizer funds. Flagged by COA as Immigration Commissioner.

Defeated twice in Eastern Samar when voters could judge him directly.

Returned via a party list that echoes a government welfare brand.

Cleared of long pending cases after returning to power.

Now occupying the post of Minority Leader without the posture or principle the role demands.

The public record is lengthy. The silence since his return is louder.

Senator Ping Lacson, who has long tracked pork insertions in the national budget, may find it worth examining how much pork was allocated to Eastern Samar between 2022 and 2025.

Fiscalizing means following the money. If there is political resurrection, there may also be budget resurrection.

CONCLUSION: THIS IS NOT OPPOSITION, THIS IS OPPORTUNISM

Libanan’s political career is defined not by conviction but by survival.

Wherever he appears, controversy follows, including suspensions, graft allegations, and audit flags, often dismissed not through factual exoneration but procedural technicalities.

He was rejected by voters in his own province, returned through legal gaps in the partylist system, and has since been rewarded with leadership.

Each time, it is the public that bears the cost.

Kung ganito ang lider ng oposisyon, huwag tayong umasa ng pagbabago.

Sila ay hindi tinig ng bayan kundi anino ng kapangyarihan, at nananatiling tahimik sa harap ng katiwalian.

Kahintulad ito ng pagbibigay ng susi ng ating tahanan sa isa nang dati na nating pinagdududahan.

Hindi ba’t ito ay delikado, katawa tawa, at lubhang mapanganib para sa mga mamamayan?

Ed Javier

Ed Javier is a veteran communicator with over 34 years of professional experience both in the private and public sectors. He is also an entrepreneur, political analyst, newspaper columnist, broadcast and on-line journalist.