How to measure the performance of congressmen
Eternal vigilance, it has been said, is the price of liberty. The people should be watchful of what their congressmen have done and have failed to do. We have started to organize the Cebu Legislators Watch Teams composed of students from Ateneo, La Salle, UP, and other universities in Manila. I am the adviser of this student and youth group, and we shall make this group stronger next year so that we can report to Cebu all our findings. As of today, we are still few and lacking in logistics. But starting the next Congress, we shall be fully operational. Cebuano businessmen and professionals who are based in Manila and other Luzon provinces and cities are sending feelers that they are willing to support this initiative.
To promote integrity and accountability of our members of Congress, we, the people, should be vigilant in watching what they have done, as well as what they have failed to do. The May elections is judgment time. We should examine what have these well-paid, under-worked officials have done for the people and for their respective districts. We have paid high taxes to fund these members of the legislature. It is only fair, proper and justified that we demand from each of them a detailed account of their accomplishments, if any. Did they do their job well? Did they exercise the functions of their office to the best of their ability, in promoting the best interests of the people? Are the money spent to finance their existence used well and productively?
There should be a law that would require all incumbent members of Congress to submit a performance reports to their constituents twice each year. These reports should be detailed and should be under oath. The reports should be published in all the leading newspapers of general circulation in the localities represented by them respectively. And the constituents should have access to these public documents and raise issues related to them. The congressmen should account for their budget especially those for consultants and office staffs, for consultations with their constituents and foreign travels. They should account for all their allowances. The Filipino people, amidst too much poverty, have been taxed to subsidize the lifestyle and work style of these honorable men and women.
The kind of public officials we have is just a reflection of the kind of voters we are. The quality of our congressional representatives, for instance, should be measured professionally and objectively based on their own mandate as legislators. For instance, how many bills have been filed by him or her in the last Congress? How many of these bills were approved on first, second and third reading. What are the contents of these bills? Are they relevant to the socio-economic problems of his or her district? Did the congressmen attend all committee hearings, and if so, what inputs did they put forward to add value to those pieces of legislative measures? We have a template for performance appraisal of legislators. All these will be reported to all localities next year.
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