Lawmakers call for abolition of GOCC oversight body

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte’s allies in the House of Representatives have called on the administration to make good its promise of abolishing redundant government agencies that have overlapping functions with public offices. 

Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy, who also chairs the House committee on public information, disclosed that “over 20 congressmen have come together for the repeal of Republic Act 10149 or the Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations Governance Act of 2011.” 

 Dy also revealed that her colleagues in the super majority coalition have called for the “abolition of the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG).” 

“We deem this abolition as necessary and we embodied our sentiments in House Bill 3014. The GCG is too slow. There are still too many GOCCs or state corporations,” Dy said, referring to GOCCs. 

This is in line with Duterte’s promise to eliminate redundant, duplicative, and overlapping functions and organizations of the executive branch.

Dy recalled that last April, the GCG counted 212 GOCCs but only two have been “dissolved or abolished,” while 24 are still considered “under abolition.”

She said there are 23 non-operational or inactive GOCCs.

 In a statement, Dy said only three are undergoing privatization, among them the Government Service Insurance System Family Bank, Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp. and Southern Utility Management and Services Inc.

Four GOCCs are involved in mining, according to Dy. If the GCG is to be consistent with Duterte’s anti-mining stance, Dy said Batong Buhay Gold Mines Inc., Natural Resources Development Corp., North Davao Mining Corp. and Philippine Mining Development Corp. should be abolished.

Several GOCCs, Dy said, that are into food, agriculture and fisheries should be privatized or merged: Food Terminal Inc. (privatize), National Sugar Development Co. (merge with Philippine Sugar Corp.), Northern Foods Corp. (merge with Phividec Panay Agro-Industrial Corp). 

The government should also get out of the realty business by abolishing or privatizing Batangas Land Co., First Cavite Industrial Estate Inc., G.Y. Real Estate Inc., Kamayan Realty Corp. and Pinagkaisa Realty Corp.

“Instead of piloting the development and growth of GOCCs, the GCG became another bureaucratic layer in the already confounded structure of checks and balances and has been taking up valuable time and resources of the GOCCs,” Dy said.