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I think it is fair to say that the image of the House
of Representatives has improved. Reasons: One, the House under
Speaker Prospero Nograles has a legislative agenda. Two, it is
carrying out that agenda in its daily work.
I had thought that Nograles was
just an ordinary parliamentarian who was a convenient replacement
for Speaker Jose de Venecia. But after reading Nograles’ guidepost
for the speakership, I came to realize this Mindanao leader knows
his job. To prove my point, just read “Sustaining the Growth,
Spreading the Benefits” which was written by Nograles at the start
of the 14th Congress.
The 70-page paper reads like a
simplified economic and political plan for Filipino legislators. If
you want to see the essence of government, read this paper, which
includes discussions on economic and fiscal reforms, social reform
measures, politics and governance. If Nograles carries out the
plan outlined in the paper, he would be remembered as a visionary
who knows the problems of his country and their solutions.
A sample of Nograles’ thoughts:
“We cannot pursue growth only for the sake of growth. Growth must
help reduce poverty. We want growth to change and improve the
quality of life of our countrymen. Economic growth is just a means
to an end.”
Addressing the insensitive
bureaucracy, Nograles says: “Fostering good governance is a must.
A stronger public service ethic must be imbibed by our public
servants. The quality of government service must be built on public
accountability and efficient performance.
It must be very hard for Nograles
to mobilize congressmen who really are not subordinates. Still, the
Speaker thought it was necessary to call on his fellow legislators
to explain to the people the workings of the pork barrel. He
encourages them to explain the projects under CDF in town hall
meetings as part of the continuing public consultations. Nograles
knows that the use of the pork barrel is double-edged: In the
cities, the middle class hate the pork barrel but in the
countryside, it is needed.
The Nograles paper includes two
timely topics—population management and preventing sea disaster.
For population, he wants to craft laws to include provisions on
responsible parenthood and more information for citizens. On the
matter of sea tragedies, Nograles wants reforms in the maritime
industry, insuring that laws prevent overlapping functions among
regulatory agencies.
No wonder then that the House
leadership led by Nograles has improved its image. The latest
survey shows it garnered a +35 percent trust rating this year. That
is quite a feat, especially for an institution that has always been
treated as a whipping boy of the fragile state. Note that the image
of the House has always been down.
Cagayan de Oro congressman Rufus
Rodriguez, an oppositionist and a possible vice presidentiable
contender, is able to work with an administration man like Nograles.
Rodriguez interprets the high rating obtained by the House as a
result of Nograles’ policies of transparency and good lawmaking
output. He also noted that Nograles has been able to check the
tendencies of some congressmen to be absent from the sessions.
”There is great public
appreciation for the transparency program of the Speaker especially
his move to make public how each congressman uses his or her pork
barrel. We also appreciate his advice that we consult our
constituents before pursuing projects using our pork barrel
funds,” Rodriguez said. ”Another reform that contributed to this
positive trust rating of the House is the Speaker’s resolve to
cure the perennial problem of quorum and the fact that we have
accomplished unprecedented legislative output during the 1st regular
session of the 14th Congress,” he said.
No more postponement of ARRM
polls
It looks like recent developments
in Mindanao do not favor the postponement of the ARMM elections
scheduled for August 11. Last Friday evening, we got a report that
the talks between the MILF and the government have bogged down. In
the absence of a breakthrough in the talks, why should we postpone
the polls?
In reaction to the desire of the
President that the polls be postponed, the House had planned a joint
consultation for Monday (yesterday) during the SONA. But it seems
that this consultation would now be academic because of the
overarching developments on the ground.
In principle, I am for postponing
polls to give way to a GRP-MILF political settlement. After all,
what is really more important for Mindanao is to insure that the
guns of the rebels and the government stop firing. That should have
been the purpose of a GRP-MILF accord.
By the way, Senator Richard
Gordon has another reason for opposing the postponement of the ARMM
polls. He thinks that the law on computerization of the polls
requires that there should be a dry run on computerization at the
ARMM before full automation is made in the 2010 polls.
BRIEF NOTES. By next week, all
the taipans from the Philippines will be out of town. They will all
be in Beijing to attend the opening ceremonies of the Olympic . . .
Mr. Dindo Rios of San Fernando, Romblon has led his kababayans in
defying the ban on eating fish taken from the Sibuyan Sea. Rios is a
professional diver and an expert in spear fishing.
jules42na@yahoo.com
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