YEARENDER: House bounces back from failures

MANILA, Philippines – It was a year of failure and redemption, as well as some firsts for the House of Representatives. The year 2010 also ushered in a new Congress – the 15th – under a new administration.

The early part of the year saw the chamber in the 14th Congress shaken and criticized for failing to approve some

urgent key legislation, including the much-awaited Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill and the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) Bill.

The Social Weather Stations’ (SWS) March pre-election survey showed the House getting only a neutral net satisfaction rating of +7 or slightly lower than the +9 in the previous quarter.

However, in the SWS survey conducted in September or two months after the 15th Congress opened on July 26, the chamber obtained a good satisfaction rating of +30 or 23 points up from the neutral position in the previous quarter.

“As a result of our collective efforts, our institution – which has previously been regarded with skepticism – has regained our people’s confidence. We currently bask in one of the highest trust ratings ever attained by this chamber in the past two decades,” Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said.

The start of 2010 saw then Speaker Prospero Nograles committing to pass 16 urgent measures. In January, the House was able to pass 31 bills on third and second reading.

These included House Bill 6928 or An Act providing for early voting to qualified members of media; HB 7047, An Act to reduce poverty and promote human capital development through the institutionalization of the conditional cash transfer program of the government; and HB 6995, An Act further strengthening the anti-smuggling mechanism.

Nograles also lashed out at the Senate for sitting on over 1,000 bills approved by the House because the latter was distracted by internal politics.

Two days before Congress went on its campaign break on Feb. 3, Nograles already ruled out the possibility of the passage of the RH Bill. He said it was too controversial and had many strong opponents in the chamber. What was needed, however, for its approval was the nod of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was not in favor of the measure.

On its last session day in June, the House failed to ratify the landmark FOI Bill due to lack of quorum despite its ratification being at the top of the agenda for the day.

Camiguin Rep. Pedro Romualdo questioned the quorum, prompting Nograles to call the roll. When only 128 lawmakers were present, Nograles said the chamber could no longer transact business and banged the gavel to signal adjournment amid howls of protest from the gallery and lawmakers backing the bill.

Nograles had strongly pleaded with Romualdo to withdraw his motion and have the bill, which would give the public easy access to information from the government, ratified. The Speaker texted reporters offering his regrets for the death of the FOI Bill.

Party switching

Party switching also distracted lawmakers from urgent legislative work in the final weeks of the 14th Congress.

Most of those who made the exodus were members of the then ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD headed by Arroyo.

The lawmakers who bolted the administration party did so for two reasons. Some were opposed to the merger of Lakas-CMD with the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino or Kampi while most did so for political expediency when it became clear that then senator Benigno Aquino III of the Liberal Party (LP) was likely to win the presidential elections.

The defection was massive, so much so that Nograles, vice chairman of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, told reporters in April or a month before the elections of his plan to abandon the party. He, however, later backtracked and said he was staying with Lakas.

By the time the 15th Congress opened, the lawmakers who did not join the administration coalition in the House were down to just over 20 congressmen from a high of about 120, who now belong to the minority bloc.

Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III of the LP later said Aquino would have a say in the selection of the committee heads in the House to ensure smooth legislative work and protect him from impeachment.

Canvassing of votes

After the May elections, the Senate and the House convened as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) for the country’s first nationwide automated elections, during which no bills were entertained.

After the fastest canvassing in Philippine history or eight days from May 27 when the first ballot box was opened, Aquino and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay were proclaimed in joint session of Congress on June 9 as president and vice president, with the latter obtaining 15,208,678 million votes.

During the canvassing there were numerous allegations of tampering and cheating in the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines as well as calls for the postponement of the proclamation.

The NBOC, however, ruled that it was not the proper venue for election protests.

New leadership

As expected, Belmonte was elected by an overwhelming number of lawmakers as the 18th Speaker of the chamber when the 15th Congress opened on July 26.

It was actually the second time for this former three-term Quezon City mayor to hold the fourth-highest post of the land. Belmonte was House speaker for the 11th Congress in 2001.

“While our constituencies may be different, we know that all are tied together by the common need of the Filipino people for a life that is free yet secure, economically vibrant, environmentally healthy, peaceful and socially accepting,” Belmonte said in his acceptance speech.

“We must see to it that the House of Representatives contributes to this remarkable crest of change, and works further to maximize the advantages we are beginning to gain,” he said.

In just about 30 days, the chamber was able to organize itself and formed over 50 legislative committees. In previous Congresses, reorganizations were completed as late as November, with grumbling from many lawmakers not given committee chairmanships.

The House in the 15th Congress, the biggest so far with 283 members, also has its unique features. Aside from having a former president as a member, the House was also notable for having as members world boxing icon Manny Pacquiao as representative of the lone district of Sarangani, former first lady and Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos, two actresses – Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado and Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez – as well as the son and wife of former Speakers: Pangasinan Rep. Gina de Venecia and Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles.

Other notable members are former Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, who is now Muntinlupa representative, San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor Ejericto, and former Arroyo officials Pangasinan Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil, Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya, Bacolod City Rep. Anthony Golez, and Bohol Rep. Arthur Yap.

The chamber also has the most number of party-list and neophyte congressmen, at 57 and 149 respectively.

“Our House today has the largest membership since the installation of the new Congress in 1987. This presents an opportunity unique and unparalleled in recent history. Each of us has been ushered into this chamber by our constituency not only hopeful but expectant of change. Our performance since July evinces our collective will to fulfill our people’s high expectations,” Belmonte said.

RH, FOI bills revived

Proponents of the RH Bill led by House Minority Leader and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman refiled the controversial measure and Belmonte vowed that the bill would reach voting in plenary.

Pro-life lawmakers, however, warned the President could be liable for impeachment if the bill as it is signed into law due to provisions that allow for abortifacients.

Tañada also revived the FOI Bill and lawmakers are optimistic that the measure would be approved and enacted into law next year.

Budget debates

The final marathon plenary debates on the proposed P1.645-trillion national budget in mid-October took an unexpected twist when a neophyte Muslim lawmaker, Lanao del Norte Rep. Fatima Aliah Dimaporo, called for the resignation of presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles for insulting her during a break in deliberations.

Dimaporo’s colleagues in the minority bloc threatened to stop the passage of the budget unless Deles resigned. In the end, the chamber passed a resolution seeking the resignation of Deles in exchange for the nod of the lawmakers to the money measure.

“When we have to choose between a Cabinet official and the budget, we will save the budget,” House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said.

But since its presentation to Congress on Aug. 24, the General Appropriations Bill faced tough public scrutiny, with the judiciary first to protest the slash of P9 billion from the budget it requested from President Aquino.

Some lawmakers also opposed the proposed allocation of P400 million for contraceptives under the family health programs of the Department of Health budget.

However, it was the controversial P21-billion conditional cash transfer (CCT) program – the flagship anti-poverty project of the Aquino administration – that dominated the plenary debates with Mrs. Arroyo among those who stood up to oppose it.

Arroyo said while the CCT, which she pioneered in 2007, was commendable, the target of 2.3 million poorest of the poor households and the huge budget was too much for the Department of Social Welfare and Development to handle and other agencies were not prepared to take up the slack.

While no major realignments were done in the proposed budget for 2011, Bayan Muna party-list lawmakers raised a howl over the move of the House leadership to grant additional P50 million to each congressional district. They said it was tantamount to extra pork barrel funds.

“Of course the biggest pork of all is the presidential pork. The DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) lump sum funds are presidential pork barrel funds that will now be partly distributed among district congressmen at a minimum of P50 million each,” Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño said.

“This is in exchange for allowing the Palace to have the biggest pork of all – the P21.9 billion conditional cash transfer fund and the P15 billion public-private partnership funds. This is pork trading at its worst,” he said.

However, the chamber’s leaders said the allocation was only for districts with very low infrastructure allocations from the DPWH.

Belmonte said unknown to many, numerous congressional districts are neglected by the DPWH so the additional P50 million for some districts was an equalizer.

Death and drugs

The chamber also had its share of scandals this year with the arrest of Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson, son of Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis Singson, last July 11 upon his arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport for possession of cocaine and valium.

Singson, 41, was detained for some weeks before being allowed to post HK$1 million bail in August while two of his friends in Hong Kong each shelled out HK$500,000 in surety bond. He was not allowed to leave Hong Kong and was ordered to report to the police daily and surrender his passport. His trial has barely begun and he has yet to enter a plea.

On Jan. 28, Butil party-list Rep. Leonila Chavez died of stroke. She was 75.

Six months later, Cagayan Rep. Florencio Vargas (second district), 79, died of heart attack. Belmonte designated Cagayan Rep. Juan Enrile of the first district to act as caretaker of the constituents left by Vargas.

Legislative record

When the House adjourned on Dec. 16 after 45 session days, it was in receipt of over 4,600 measures consisting of more than 3,800 bills and about 800 resolutions. Of this number, the chamber had approved 20 bills on third reading and another five bills of national significance on second reading. Various committees have also produced 425 committee reports.

Among the bills approved by the chamber were on protection of students’ right to enroll in review centers; institutionalizing kindergarten education in the country’s basic education system; authorizing the courts to require community service instead of imprisonment for the penalty of arresto menor; and providing for a Code of the national flag, anthem, motto, coat-of-arms and other heraldic devices of the country.

The House also concurred with Proclamation 75 which granted amnesty to detained rightist military and police rebels who had attempted to overthrow the Arroyo administration.

The chamber also boasted of record attendance in plenary sessions, with the average number of lawmakers attending at 218 or 78 percent. The bulk of attendance came from neophyte lawmakers, who number over 140.

For the first time in 10 years, the government would start the year operating on a new budget after the House ratified the P1.645-trillion national budget for 2011. It was signed into law by President Aquino on Dec. 27.

“We have swiftly passed critical pieces of legislation, including the national budget for 2011. This is a marked departure from the past tradition of reenacting the budget which practice has created an atmosphere of uncertainty. Our early enactment of the 2011 national budget signals our determination to institute greater discipline and responsiveness in the utilization of government resources,” Belmonte said in his address before the plenary at the close of session.

“That we achieved this much in so little time is testament to our resolve to clear our legislative calendar of absenteeism which in the past has been the roadblock to this chamber’s efficiency,” he said.

“Our legislative action thus far has been marked not only by deliberate speed and decisiveness, but also by integrity and conviction. Indeed, I am most proud to preside over this House whose current membership has exhibited great courage to vote more on principle and less on political expediency, and whose actions have restored statesmanship amongst us,” he said. –Paolo Romero and Jess Diaz (The Philippine Star)