Manila: The House of Representatives' quad committee (quadcom) on Wednesday cited former Mayor Teddy Tumang of Mexico town, Pampanga province in contempt for 'lying and evading questions from committee members.' The panel also ordered the detention of Tumang inside the House premises until the termination of the investigation into the illegal drugs and the illicit Philippine offshore gambling operators (POGOs). According to Philippines News Agency, the quadcom's 12th hearing saw Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro attempting to establish a connection between 560 kilos of shabu worth PHP3 billion seized in a warehouse in Barangay San Jose Malino in Mexico in September 2023 and the acquisition of '320 landholdings' by Chinese nationals in that town. Luistro identified Chinese nationals Aedy Ty Yang and Willy Ong as the incorporators of Empire 999 Realty Corp. which owned the warehouse in Barangay San Jose Malino. She alleged that these individuals used fake Filipino birth certificates to create corporatio ns and purchase land in Mexico. Tumang admitted to meeting Yang and Ong when they visited his office to buy land but claimed he did not know them 'personally.' However, Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Stephen Joseph Paduano challenged Tumang's statement, accusing him of lying to the committee. 'You are lying! I have evidence that you personally know Aedy Ty Yang. In fact, you traveled together to Fujian in China. I have photos,' Paduano asserted. Confronted with evidence, Tumang confessed that he and other town officials had traveled to China with Yang. Paduano criticized Tumang's responses, stating, 'So you are lying, you are evasive. I am sorry to say this, bulok na yung style mo. Sa committee [public accounts] ko pa lang at sa Committee on Dangerous Drugs, kabisado ka na namin (Your style is crap. In my committee alone and the Committee on Dangerous Drugs, we are already familiar with you).' Responding to Paduano's motion to cite Tumang in contempt, quadcom vice chairperson Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop second ed the motion. Acop supported the motion, agreeing with Paduano's assessment of Tumang's evasive answering style. 'Di ka nagsasabi ng totoo kaagad (You do not tell the truth readily). When you are confronted with evidence, that's when you are forced to tell the truth,' Acop remarked. In a similar incident in November last year, the Committee on Dangerous Drugs also cited Tumang in contempt and detained him for 15 days.