Congress heads pat selves in back for ‘good work’

By: DJ Yap, Leila B. Salaverria - 10 years ago

MANILA, Philippines–As Congress adjourned for its Christmas break this week, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. sang the praises of the House of Representatives for the “good work done in the past year” while Senate President Franklin Drilon rhapsodized over the recent improvement in the performance and approval ratings of the Senate.

“I am encouraged by the performance of our 16th Congress,” Belmonte told his colleagues in a speech just before the House session on Wednesday night.

“Our harvest of meaningful and responsive legislation reflects your consistent hard work,” he said, citing the enactment of 20 laws in the 16th Congress as of Dec. 17, and the approval of 350 measures on third reading out of 1,688 that were filed.

The House of Representatives. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

Budget

Among the approved measures awaiting the President’s signature are the P2.6 trillion national budget for 2015, and the P22.4 billion supplemental budget for 2014.

Belmonte also cited the approval of key laws “that bear on our country’s economic growth and productivity,” such as new republic acts allowing the full entry of foreign banks, promoting job generation through small and medium enterprises, and providing for mandatory health insurance coverage for all senior citizens.

Belmonte also congratulated the lawmakers’ efforts in helping their constituents when the country was hit by another big storm, Typhoon “Ruby” (international name: Hagupit).

“The good news is that relief operations conducted by both national and local governments were up and running before, during, and after Ruby’s landfall. The implementation of emergency measures, including the prompt evacuation of thousands of people in affected areas, was key to saving so many lives,” he said.

He said he believed it is the strong spirit of solidarity among Filipinos that help get them through the worst calamities.

Belmonte said people should be prepared for more disturbances. “Storms of all natures are bound to happen. Nevertheless, let us remain united. Let us allow the light of the holiday season to dispel clouds of negativity and pessimism. I am very sure of it. Let’s do more!” he said.

Drilon said the Senate’s improved ratings showed that the chamber’s efforts to change and push for laws that will help the country have caught the people’s attention.

A November Pulse Asia survey showed a Senate performance approval rating of 42 percent, up from the 33 percent it got in June.

Almost the same number of respondents, 41 percent, was undecided about the Senate’s performance in November, while another 17 percent disapproved of it.

“We needed to prove that the Senate is still deserving of the respect of the people as a democratic institution. Thus, we have passed laws that will help the poor, widen the delivery of education and other social services and improve the economy,” Drilon said in a statement.

Very busy year

He said the recent survey showed people were “steadily being made aware of the Senate’s efforts to reform itself and introduce positive changes to the country,”

In a separate radio interview, Drilon said 2015 was going to be a very busy year, with the Senate aiming to pass almost all of its priority measures before the election season kicks in.

“The coming year will be a busy year. We will try to finish 90 percent of our work in the 16th Congress before the campaign begins,” he said told dzRH Radio.

Drilon touted the education measures that the Senate passed this year. These include the Iskolar ng Bayan Act that would allow top public high school graduates to be automatically admitted or get scholarship grants to state colleges and universities, and the Open Distance Learning Act that would allow the youth to complete their education even outside of school.