Congress TV to show transparency in House’s ‘inner workings’ — Romualdez

MANILA, Philippines — The launch of Congress TV — a free-to-air channel that would show the daily activities of House of Representatives lawmakers — would address concerns about transparency in the legislative chamber, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said.

During the launch of Congress TV, Romualdez mentioned that in 2023, a lot of criticisms and rumors have been aimed against the House, saying that it was not transparent.  However, the Speaker said this initiative would ensure that the public would have their eyes on what is happening within the House.

“CongressTV is our commitment to ensuring that no Filipino is left in the dark, that every citizen is afforded a front-row seat to the legislative process. Through this platform, we are tearing down the walls that have long kept the inner workings of the legislature away from public scrutiny,” Romualdez said in his speech on Monday evening.

“Lalo na ngayon, no’ng nakaraang taon, dinagsa tayo ng lahat ng mga kritisismo, kung ano’ng mga sinasabi, mga haka-haka na walang transparency dito sa Kongreso.  Ito talaga ang susi na makikita ng lahat ng tao ang ginagawa natin dito, ‘yong sinasabing transparency, ito na po,” he added.

(Last year, if you remember, we were faced with a deluge of criticisms where people were saying many things, and there were speculations that there is no transparency here in Congress.  This is the key to showing the people what we are doing here, providing the transparency being questioned.)

According to Romualdez, the program would hopefully show that there is a reason behind all the tedious debates and deliberations that happen at committee hearings, plenary discussions, and talks during the budget season.

“The debates, the deliberations, and the decisions that unfold within these walls are a testament to the democratic ideals we all hold dear. But democracy, to be truly effective, requires the active participation of its citizens. It requires an informed populace, aware of the issues, engaged in the discourse, and empowered to make informed choices,” he said.

“It’s a bridge built on the pillars of transparency, accountability, and inclusivity.  Ito talaga ang isang pinaka-magandang paraan na maipapaabot sa ating mga mamamayan ang katungkulan natin dito sa Kongreso, kaya dapat malalaman talaga ng taumbayan na araw-araw, wala tayong inisip kung hindi ang kabutihan at kabuhayan ng ating mamamayang Pilipino,” he added.

(This is the best way to inform our citizenry regarding the duties that we are fulfilling here in Congress, so that they would know that we are not thinking of anything but the betterment and the livelihood of the Filipino people.)

Romualdez did not mention what specific criticisms were hurled at the House, but former president Rodrigo Duterte launched tirades last October, claiming that the House is the most rotten government organization.

Duterte’s rants came after the budget deliberations for the then-proposed 2024 national budget, where the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education were removed.  Both agencies are headed by his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.

Then in late November, Romualdez was accused of spending P1.8 billion for his travels in 2023 — which was eventually revealed to be just P39.60 million for the entire House, from January 2023 to October 2023.

Congress TV is an initiative by the House and state-owned broadcasting firm PTV4.  Ana Puod, the network’s general manager, explained that content would be provided by Congress but it would be aired by PTV through the following means:

• Channel 14 (PTV Digital Free TV Channel for Metro Manila)
• Channel 46 (GMA Affordabox)
• Channel 02 (TV Plus)

The channel will go on air Tuesday, January 23.