Wednesday, July 19, 2006

NFA TO ISSUE TREASURY CROP CERTIFICATES IN GRAINS PROCUREMENT

For: CustomsWeek Desk
attn: Inday Varona
c/o Bobby Nazareno
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BY: TERENCE MORDENO GRANA

AFTER a series of committee meetings and public hearings held in the chamber and outside Metro Manila, respectively, the House HouseCommittee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, through its chairman, Iloilo Representative (Rep.) Augusto Boboy Syjuco, has finally decided to submit to Speaker Manuel B. Villar, Jr. the report on House Bill (HB) No. 7408, a bills that prohibits political turncoatism in the country, recommending its approval in substitution of the proposals filed by Quezon Rep. Wigberto E. Tanada (HB 703) and Davao City Rep. Manuel M. Garcia (HB 1170).

The measure (HB 7408), which seeks to minimize politics of patronage and ensure that the people will vote on the basis of the political platform and ideologies of the party so that the party system will be strengthened as enshrined in the 1987 Constitution, is set to be deliberated on the floor after the House Committee on Rules schedules the report for inclusion in the Calendar of Business for the Day.

In explaining the rationale of the bill, Rep. Syjuco said that the proposal seeks to ban the changing of political affiliation among incumbents within the first two and a half years of their term after running as official candidate of a party. He added that the changing of political affiliation for such candidates is only allowed six months before an election.

The solon further explained that for the non-incumbents, the measure provides that they will not be allowed to change party affiliation, six months also before an election.

The bill defines “political turncoatism” as the change of political party affiliation by any elective official under which he was elected from the time of election up to the last six months before the succeeding election. It also means, a change of political party affiliation of the non-incumbents six months before the election.

Committee Report No. 276, which contains the measure that will provide penalties for the violation of its provisions which will in turn repeal section 21 of Batas pambansa Blg. 881 or the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines, is expected to be deliberated on the floor next week after the steering committee calendars it. 05/06/99
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