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I KNOW, newspaper readers generally like news articles and columns
that border on scurrilous accusations. The stronger the criticism,
the more readers it gets. Who cares to read articles about
performance when bad news sells? Speaking of bad news, I once asked
a waiter in a restaurant to give me the “bad news” after I had
eaten. He nodded and came back not with the chit but with a
newspaper. Thankfully, it was not The Manila Times.
Has anybody ever wondered how come opinion now
masquerades as news? Where are the old journalism virtues of balance
and objectivity? They are now seldom observed, except perhaps for
The Manila Times, because they make for boring reading. What’s
more, fairness and objectivity do not ensure greater profitability
the way out-of-this-world and reckless reports do. Of course, nobody
would admit this. In all probability, muckrakers would say that
newspapers could not possibly be impartial in the battle between
good and evil, vice and virtue. Thus, even reckless accusations
first heard through text messages and later mouthed by senators and
congressmen find their way to media. Charges, even when wild and
reckless, are more exciting to read than reports of achievements.
This notwithstanding, I will still continue to
report on the good performance of senators. I consider it unfair for
most of media to focus on the noisy ones while ignoring those who
continue to work silently because that is their duty to the people
who elected them. A laudatory piece might make for dull reading but
what the heck. If there be a few readers who would know the truly
hardworking senators through this column, then that would be enough
satisfaction for me. As a Senate beat reporter, my report is based
not on perceptions as is true in surveys, but on facts. In this
column, I will cite the committee chairmen who have contributed most
to making the First Regular Session of the 14th Congress a most
productive one.
Chiz, Pia and Edong
Senate President Manuel Villar has proudly
pointed to the output of the First Regular Session as the main
highlight of the Senate under his stewardship. For this, he has to
thank primarily Senators Chiz Escudero, Pia Cayetano and Edgardo
Angara who have been working harder more than others in performing
their committee work.
Chiz has approved 11 committee reports, Pia, 5
and Angara, 4. They are responsible for almost one-half of the
committee reports filed before the Senate went into a Lenten recess.
Pia is the first committee chairman to hold a public hearing during
the break. This she did last Monday and Tuesday. Chiz will conduct a
public hearing tomorrow. Incidentally, Sen. Gringo Honasan has also
scheduled two public hearings this week. Angara is primarily
responsible for one of the only three laws enacted during the First
Regular Session: the extension of the Agriculture Competitiveness
Enhancement Fund (Republic Act 9496). The others are the Civil
Aeronautics Administration Act and the General Appropriations Act of
2008.
If the number of committee reports is not
considered, then Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile should be joining them
because the budget which he reported out is equivalent to a thousand
bills. JPE, along with Sen. Joker Arroyo, Miriam Defensor Santiago
and Angara, often toiled early morning until late into the night to
put the finishing touches to the 2008 budget.
The following senators have also approved three
committee reports each: Rodolfo Biazon, Richard Gordon, and Benigno
Aquino 3rd. Coming out with a committee report is no mean feat. In
fact, many senators still have to come out with any report on bills
primarily referred to their committees. Sen. Jamby Madrigal, for
instance, has zero output although she heads three committees.
On the number of bills that have been
incorporated in committee reports, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is the most
productive with 19, followed by Chiz with 13. Sen. Loren Legarda and
Villar have 12 each while Gordon and Angara have 11 each. Senator
Miriam has 10, JPE, 9, and Pia, 8.
Misery loves company
I feel miserable whenever the Philippines is
cited as among the most corrupt in Asia. My misery eased a bit when
I read the news about a company based in Miami that was awarded by
the US Army a $300-million contract to supply ammunition to
Afghanistan’s army and police forces. The president of the company
is 22 years old while the vice president is a licensed masseur aged
25. But that’s not all! Most of the ammunition sent to Afghanistan
came from old communist bloc stockpile, were more than 40 years old
and therefore, already obsolete and unreliable.
efrendanao2003@yahoo.com
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