Speaker vows to make House ‘most responsive’

MANILA, Philippines - The 15th Congress will be “most responsive” to the needs of the people in its remaining term as it prepares to pass several more vital measures before going on a break in March for the campaign period, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday.

Belmonte said 2012 was “a colorful and historic year for the House” as the chamber successfully ensured the conviction of former chief justice Renato Corona, performed its oversight functions through legislative investigations, and approved vital and long-pending measures like the Reproductive Health bill and the Sin Tax bill, both of which are now laws. The House has approved a total of 972 measures this year, he said.

“We intend to maximize our chamber’s efforts for the rest of our term and hope to leave a mark as a most responsive Congress – one that has heeded and effectively represented the voice of our people from all sectors of our constituencies,” the House leader said in a statement.

“Through all the controversies and challenges, this 15th Congress has left a legacy and laid the groundwork for reforms and responding to the more urgent concerns of majority of our people,” Belmonte said.

“It has left a significant legacy which, I am happy to say, has been recognized by our people through the consistent highs in our approval ratings as indicated in various survey results – another first in the entire history of the Lower House,” he said.

He said lawmakers welcome the new year with optimism as the 15th Congress draws to a close, “proud of the work of the 287 statesmen that comprise it, including our dear colleagues who have passed on – each of whom have made tremendous contributions to the output of the House.”

He said lawmakers also pitched in, not only financially but also in terms of legislation, in assisting communities affected by natural disasters like typhoon “Pablo.”

House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II and Belmonte said the chamber aims to pass, among others, the Anti-Trust Bill and the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill, by March.

“We have many feathers in our cap because of the many landmark measures we approved, some have been pending for more than a decade,” Gonzales told The STAR. “But we aim to do more this year.”

The two chambers will adjourn on Feb. 9 until June 2 to allow lawmakers, many of whom are either re-electionists or running for another elective post, to launch their respective campaigns.

The House committee on public information chaired by Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone has already approved the FOI bill but the measure has yet to be submitted for plenary debates.

The bill is touted as a major government transparency measure aimed at allowing citizens greater access to official records. The bill exempts documents on national security from public scrutiny.

The Anti-Trust bill, strongly backed by local business groups and the Joint Foreign Chambers, seeks to establish a genuine level playing field for businesses to reduce risks, transaction costs and corruption.

The measure was passed on second reading last August but its approval was withdrawn days later after some House members insisted they were not given the chance to debate on it and introduce amendments. Belmonte said he sees no reason why Congress should not approve the Anti-Trust bill.

The Speaker admitted that with the May senatorial and local elections just a few months away, mustering a quorum might be more difficult.

“We appeal to their (congressmen) sense of patriotism,” Belmonte said. “Based on past experience, that (lack of quorum) is a possibility but I’m hopeful that at the appropriate times necessary, at the nine session days remaining, that we will be able to transact business.”

Gonzales said the House leadership would do its best to muster quorum to ensure the passage of bills. “Without warm bodies, we could not do any work,” he said.