JerkS populate Congress. Corruption is widespread. Perverts from both sexes molest their drivers and aides. And lawmakers brazenly advertise their moral failings. It is not unusual for a party-list rep to park at least ten pricey vehicles in the garage (an old Nissan Safari is the pamalengke) for all the neighbors to see.

Bad grammar too. And disgraceful phonetics of high decibel in the plenary debates.

All of these prop up the conventional wisdom that Congress is a corrupt and failed institution.

But critics should not venture too far, go deeper in the criticism. Because what they will find out is this: Congress did accomplish much in 2012, jerks, perverts, bad phonetics at high decibel and all. On the fulfillment of its mandate, which is legislation, Congress had real accomplishments to report to the public. In fact, the members had something to show for their expenditures and pork barrel.

The fact that the landmark laws were passed as Congress was wrapping up 2012 reminded every Congress watcher that in 2012 the legislature was not a slacker.

OK, what was passed?

The Reproductive Health law was passed despite the desperate antics of the church and lay leaders invoking (sanctimoniously, as usual) the sanctity of the unborn. The Aquino administration propped up their spines and the President called up key allies to work for the passage of the law. If the sudden steadiness of the spines was not a big deal, I don’t know what it was. Would have the spines been that erect without the presidential call, we don’t know. But whatever it was that propped them, we all can agree on this, led to a law that would save lives and ease the problem of mass poverty.

While senators who are elected by the nation at-large can escape from wrath of the bishops, the failure to move the measure for the past 15 years was mainly because of the fear of House members—who had been inclined to support and pass the bill—of incurring the wrath of the bishops, priests and lay leaders.

To say that the priests and the bishops are relentless is an understatement. In provinces where there have been executive actions to promote population management even before the RH bill’s passage, the enlightened political families that have been implementing population programs, get daily lashings from the pulpit—the daily volley of hell and damnation from the priests.

This made the congressional leaders cower in fear, which is past tense now. Last year, they finally stood up to the vengeful bishops and voted for the passage of the tame and moderate population management law.

Alleluia, alleluia. Saying no to the bishops and priests was indeed a milestone in the life of Congress. And in a context where the population has reached 97.7 million, the only apt reaction to the passage of the RH bill is indeed alleluia, alleluia.

If the wrath of the bishops and priests was the source of the fear on the RH issue, the sin tax bill had opponents as formidable—the tobacco and liquor lobby. This is no ordinary lobby group. Tobacco and liquor companies that are behind this powerful lobby group donate generously to their favored candidates, especially to senatorial candidates. It is a lobby that cannot be ignored.

In both chambers of Congress, this practice has held for decades: it is better to displease the President than major election campaign contributors. So the passage of the sin tax bill should not go unheralded.

The freedom of information bill has been moving at a fast-track pace. Next year, there will be an FOI law. While there are doubts on whether the law can really empower the citizens and not make monsters out of an abusive media, we do not know. But at the very least, the stage has been set for he passage of an FOI law.

There was a commitment made in 2012 to bring the divorce issue out of the closet and into the public square. An open, enlightened an dispassionate discussion of the divorce issue will be another major feat for Congress.

I wrote something like this recently: A divorce law should break through our Potemkin piety.

To further appreciate how our Congress performed, let us look at the record of Capitol Hill.

To describe the workings of the Hill via the usual word “gridlock” is a gross understatement. The Republican Party has been refusing to pass any measure that is about children, veterans, women, post- hurricane relief efforts - more so anything that would burden the rich and lift the lives of the powerless.

How legislation has come to divide Americans into “makers” and “ takers” and lead one party into an ideology that is committed to an iron-clad belief that legislation should exclusively be in favor of the “ makers” is beyond us.

The leading conservatives even claim that climate change is one big hoax. And that teaching evolution should be banned from schools .

No wonder, a recent survey found out that the US Congress is less popular than a cockroach.

Honestly, if you look at the conduct of Republican congressmen over the debt ceiling issue, you will have reason to appreciate the dumbest congressman in the country.

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