Congress

A BILL backed by the Liberal Party has been filed to “democratize the power of the purse” by giving civil society groups equal footing with lawmakers in crafting the national budget.

MANILA, Philippines – Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. led 46 lawmakers in attending all 46 sessions of the House of Representatives during the five-month period that Congress was in session last year.

Going by the principle that haste makes waste, President Aquino yesterday disclosed that only 12 out of the 32 bills that have made it to their priority shortlist may be presented by the executive department to the 15th Congress.

MANILA, Philippines—The House of Representatives is working on trimming down to 20 its list of priority bills it intends to pass on its first year, including the proposed measures on reproductive health, Marcos victims compensation, and Freedom of Information.

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.

MANILA, Philippines – As the administration of President Aquino ushered in a new era last June, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile remained at the helm. But it was not a sure thing. Even up to the eve of the first session day of Congress last July 26, nobody had a clear idea who would emerge…

DURING the Fifteenth Congress, 43 out of the 283 House members scored perfect attendance and only 21 bills were approved on third reading. The House of Representatives kicked off 2010 by dropping in February House Bill 3306, or the Right of Reply Bill, which seeks to penalize media outfits that will refuse to print, air…

It has been known for decades here and in the US that pork barrel funds are a major source of corruption. The going “kickback” or “tongpats” on public works projects is 30 percent. It could go up to 80 percent for ghost projects. The accepted practice is for the pork barrel sponsor to designate the…

MANILA, Philippines—The membership of the House of Representatives has ballooned to 283—and still counting. Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. administered the oath to three more party-list lawmakers before the House adjourned last week for the holidays.

MANILA, Philippines – Only 43 of the 283 members of the House of Representatives or about 15% have been religiously attending plenary sessions of the 15th Congress in their first 6 months in office.

MANILA, Philippines—Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has thumbed down the demand of some party-list representatives to be given an additional P50 million in pork barrel following the decision to provide the amount to regular members of the House of Representatives starting next year.

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MANILA, Philippines – As Congress organized the 25-man panel of the bicameral Commission on Appointments (CA) last Wednesday, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said the CA cannot scrutinize the credentials of the three acting secretaries appointed by President Aquino.

In a sudden reversal of fortune, the former ruling Lakas-Kampi coalition of the past decades has become the minority in the House of Representatives almost immediately upon the ascension to the presidency the Liberal Party’s President Benigno Aquino 3rd. His hold on the lower chamber of Congress is being facilitated by former Mayor Feliciano “Sonny”…

SPEAKER Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr. always topped the list of outstanding congressmen when he was a member of the House in the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Congress. And this is not his first time to be head of the House.

The House of Representatives of the Fifteenth Congress is proving to be, in the two months and two weeks that it has been in existence, more democratic than the House of the Fourteenth Congress and less disturbed by factionalism than the Palace.

MANILA, Philippines – Aside from the P200-million pork barrel fund for each senator in the 2011 national budget, lawmakers who were appointed to chair the 34 oversight and ad hoc committees in the Senate will get millions of pesos in additional funds.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has submitted to the Senate a list of new projects, which will be prioritized in the second tranche of the allocation of congressional initiatives or the pork barrel for this year.

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives has formed its 12-member contingent to the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA). The commission is the body empowered to approve or reject major Cabinet appointments and promotions in the military and diplomatic service.

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives has organized a total of 45 major committees with the election of 16 more chairmen in plenary session on Tuesday and Wednesday.

MANILA, Philippines—With only a week before the targeted completion of the organization at the House of Representatives, 12 more congressional committees have been completed with the designation of chairpersons and members.

MANILA, Philippines – The leadership of the House of Representatives is forming a group that would organize the thousands of bills filed in the chamber to enable lawmakers to work more efficiently in prioritizing and approving the measures.