Congress resumes session today

MANILA, Philippines — Passing the P3.75-trillion national budget for this year will be a priority as Congress resumes session today.

Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has reaffirmed the chamber’s commitment to pass the annual spending allocation for agencies in all branches of government, which has been reenacted for the first time since she was president.

Arroyo said the House of Representatives has done its part and the ball is now in the hands of senators.

“We do (talk with the senators), but we just let them do their own timetable. We cannot nag them. We cannot nag them on passing any of our measures,” Arroyo said.

House Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu also expressed his support for the budget bill’s passage.

“The House leadership is very keen on passing the 2019 annual budget as there are lots of government programs and projects that are being tied or delayed due to the non-approval of the new budget,” Abu said.

At the same time, Abu asked the Department of Public Works and Highways to resolve and reassess problems involving road right of ways’ (RROWs) concerning various road projects of the government.

“We are calling the attention of the DPWH to immediately respond to the queries and act double time to settle all issues surrounding the RROWs acquisition,” Abu said, citing the problems they are having in their locality.

He said the budget delay greatly affects the ongoing P1.104-billion Batangas City–Bauan Bypass Road that is envisioned to declog the worsening traffic situation in the Batangas City-San Pascual-Bauan- Mabini portion of the Batangas City-Palico Highway.

In memoriam

The House leadership will also hold this morning a necrological service in honor of murdered Ako Bicol representative Rodel Batocabe, who headed the 50-member Party-List Coalition in the 292-man chamber.

Batocabe’s wife, Girtie, and sons Jhustine and Khiel will be present to witness the tribute the lawmaker’s friends and colleagues will deliver.

“We celebrate his memory as an unyielding advocate of eradicating poverty through affordable quality education. He was also a proponent of legislative efforts to mitigate the occurrence of hazing and bullying in schools,” a portion of the invitation read.

“A lawyer by profession, he took a firm stand in promoting social justice, women empowerment, environmental protection, renewable energy and universal access to health and education,” it stated.

Rep. Paul Hernandez of party-list Kabayan will lead the invocation after the requiem mass.

Retired Supreme Court justices Vicente Mendoza and Presbitero Velasco Jr. will also be among those who will deliver their eulogies, along with Speaker Arroyo, House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez and Deputy Speaker Sharon Garin, among others.

The PNP Band will play “In Memoriam” by Buenaventura and “Nearer, My God, to Thee” by Lowell Mason while Gene Lopez will sing “What a Wonderful World” by George Weiss and Robert Thiele and John Lennon’s “Imagine” during the necrological service.

“The late Hon. Rodel Batocabe was an exemplar of how the party-list framework effectively works for the Filipino people. He was the delegate of Ako Bicol party-list to Congress for three consecutive terms and a lead convenor and spokesperson of the Party-List Coalition in the past Congresses. In the 17th Congress, he was the president of the Party-List Coalition,” the program invitation read.