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By Jomar Canlas, Reporter
THE House of Representatives on
Monday opened its second regular with the idea of using its
oversight powers to review the performance of the executive
department, particularly in implementing laws passed by Congress.
House Speaker Prospero Nograles
said that his leadership in the chamber would scrutinize Malacañang
and government agencies by demanding more reporting on its programs
and projects.
”The leadership looks forward
to more reviews of the performance of executive department and its
agencies. This shall be the order of the day. We need to demand more
reporting and gather more information on all programs and
projects,” Nograles said.
He stressed that congressional
oversight would now function as a “democratic tool to promote good
governance by helping curb graft and corruption, fostering economy
and effectiveness in the use of public resources, ensuring fidelity
to duty and our laws in the performance of public functions.”
The House chief pointed out that
there are laws that were passed by Congress that must be guarded
against anomalies, and that Congress would act as a lookout on
“how major laws are being implemented, especially, why they are
perceived to be implemented poorly.
”The house oversight function
of review is not in exercise of legislative supremacy over the
executive. Rather, it is pursuit of the higher interest for more
informed legislative polices,” Nograles said.
He said the non-implementation of
the laws passed by Congress could result to graft and corruption,
and be manifested in poverty.
Priority legislations
Nograles said that the country is
now facing “an imminent economic storm [and] it poses a grave
danger in sustaining our economic growth.”
As a remedy, he said reforms that
the House has set in motion during the last five months must be
continued by passing more laws on health care, education, housing,
infrastructure, increasing food production and attracting more
private sector investments.
“Increasing budgetary resources
for social services for education, housing and health, also requires
policies that can augment our revenues including those that really
optimize tax collection efficiency,” he said.
He said the House is targeting 26
priority economic bills for approval on third reading by yearend,
and a total of 87 priority bills for approval also before the end of
2008.
Among the priority bills set for
third reading by October include:
- Exempting the sale of
electricity to marginalized consumers from the value added tax;
- Promotion of corporate farming
to increase food production;
- Rewarding persons who help
government identify and prosecute rice hoarders and recover hoarded
rice;
- Exempting from the withholding
tax the interest earnings on bonds issued by the Land Bank of the
Philippines to owners of lands covered by the agrarian reform
program;
- Strengthening consumer
protection through the consumer welfare and bill of rights; and
Strengthening the pre-need
industry in the Philippines.
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