Screengrab from Senate PH

It seems the “spirit of Christmas” didn’t quite reach PNP Col. Hector Grijaldo after he repeatedly snubbed the House of Representatives’ QuadComm—four times to be exact. Rep. Robert Ace Barbers made this clear when explaining why the arrest order was implemented against Grijaldo.

“Well nung una, he was not [able to attend]. Sabi niya kasi nasa hospital siya. He wants to stay in the hospital and have a hospital arrest. But of course, we did not allow that because sabi ng mga doctors niya puwede naman ambulatory siya, pwede siya lumabas, pwede siya maglakad. There was no reason for him to stay in the hospital. So ang ginawa natin ay in-implement natin yung arrest order sa kanya,” Barbers said, standing firm on their decision.

Barbers explained that it wasn’t just one missed appearance but a series of blatant absences that led to this consequence. “We asked the SAA and the PNP to assess the House to implement the order,” he added.

When a reporter asked if the “spirit of Christmas” applied to Grijaldo, Barbers didn’t mince words.

“Hindi, hindi kasi he failed to attend four times. In fact, he snubbed the invitation of the House ng apat na beses after coming out in the Senate at marami siyang sinabi sa Senado. Eh nung iniimbita namin sila pabalik dito, ay hindi niya na pinapansin ito. Yun ang aming nakita na meron siyang disrespect na ipinakita at insulto sa mababang kapulungan,” Barbers emphasized.

It’s clear from Barbers’ tone and choice of words that Grijaldo’s actions were seen not just as absences, but as outright disrespect toward the House of Representatives. And with four snubs, it seems no Christmas cheer could excuse that.