Damned…lawmakers always coming under fire, Poe says

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

Senator Grace Poe on Monday lamented how lawmakers have always been criticized whenever they conduct congressional hearings on certain issues.

“Pag naghe-hearing kami, sasabihin nag e-epal lang kayo dyan pero pag walang hearing paano malamalan ng ating mga kababayan ang talagang nangyayari?” Poe said when she spoke before the Transport Unity Summit in Manila.

(When we conduct hearings, they’d say we’re just out to seek attention but without hearings, how would our people know what is really happening?)

“Pag hindi kami maghe-hearing, paano namin masasabihan ang mga departamento na: Uy ayus-ayusin nyo ang trabaho nyo dahil kukuha kayo ng budget sa amin. Pag hindi nyo nagagasta, hindi namin ibibigay sa inyo o pag kinukurakot ninyo, hindi namin ibibigay.”

(If we’ll not conduct hearings, how can we say to departments that they have to do their job well because you’d get your budget from us. That if they don’t spend the money, or if they steal it, we will not give it to them)

However, even if Congress has a mandate to conduct hearings, Poe explained that their hands are tied because they could not force the executive branch to do something.

Like Congress, the legislative branch of government, she said the executive branch also has its own mandate.

“Hindi sila nakikinig sa amin kaya minsan, pasensya na po, gusto kong manatiling maayos at ma-respeto pero pag mali ang ginagawa hindi tayo dapat manahimik…” the senator said.

Hearings on jeepney modernization

As chairman of the Senate committee on public services, Poe has been conducting hearings on the proposed jeepney modernization program.

She made it clear though that she is not against jeepney modernization but emphasized that there should be a clear policy to ensure that the 600,000 affected drivers would not suffer in the end.

“Alam mo 600,000 drivers ang apektado dito. Kapag nagkansela sila ng mga ruta, anong kapalit no’n?” the senator pointed out.

(You know, 600,000 drivers will be affected here. What would happen if they cancel their routes?)

“At papaano naman sila makakabili ng jeep na P1.2 million hanggang P1.8 million kung ang ibibigay mo lang ay P80,000 na pang-downpayment,” Poe added.

(And how can they afford to buy a jeep worth from P1.2 million to P18 million if you would only give them P80,000 for the downpayment?)   /vvp/ac