No post in Congress for Cebu’s Gullas

Newly elected first district representative Eduardo Gullas said yesterday he would not assume any major position or committee chairmanship and would rather settle as a "back-bencher" in the 13th Congress when it opens on June 30.

Gullas made this statement yesterday after his proclamation at the Capitol. "I’d be a back-bench Congressman, I’ve had my time and I wanted to concentrate more on the needs of the district."

Gullas recalled that during his term in the 11th Congress, he held the position of Majority Floor Leader, which is next in line to the Deputy Speaker. This, he said,s paved the way for his active role in the passage of laws such as the Power and the Clean Air Acts.

Gullas said that in the incoming Congress he would concentrate more in filing major legislation, especially those that would directly affect the welfare of his constituents in the district.

Among the major legislation he intends to work on when Congress opens include: pushing for a constitutional convention to amend the Constitution, re-filing the proposal to regionalize the payroll of teachers and non-teaching personnel that was sponsored by his brother, outgoing Rep. Jose Gullas.

Gullas said he would also sponsor bills for the creation of the Department of Housing, the Cebu Light Railway Transit Authority, the Talisay City Industrial Park, and the conversion of Naga town into a city.

Solely for the first district, Gullas said he would work for the electrification of remote sitios or barangays, the improvement of the two district hospitals, irrigation systems, farm-to-market roads and the continuation of his current medical health programs.

For 10 years, Gullas was Cebu governor before he became congressman of the first district for three consecutive terms ending in the 11th Congress.

When Talisay became a city through his efforts in Congress, Gullas became its first mayor, the position he held prior to his recent election as representative of the first district. — Freeman News Service