Nograles wants full systems audit on MRT3 before getting a new maintenance provider
STATEMENT BY THE
HONORABLE ROGER “OGING” MERCADO
Southern Leyte, Lone District
HOUSE CHARTER CHANGE COMMITTEE READY WITH
RESOLUTION ON CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY
I am
confident House Concurrent Resolution No. 9 can be expedited and be ready by or
before January 2018. HCR No. 9 already has a committee report that consolidated
several measures. The House is therefore able to back up Speaker Pantaleon
“Bebot” Alvarez when he meets Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel, III.
The House
Committee on Constitutional Amendments, which I chair, has a draft federal
constitution due for submission this December to the House Committee on Rules
chaired by Majority Leader Rodolfo “Rudy” Fariñas, Sr.
The draft
charter builds upon the proposal of the PDP-Laban Federalism Institute. It is
consistent with the ideas of President Rodrigo Duterte on what the new charter
ought to have and contains solutions to the country's economic problems,
especially poverty, the peace and order situation, and the fight against
illegal drugs.
We have
support from our colleagues in the House to get their approval on HCR No. 9 in
the near-term and on the proposed amendments when Congress is convened as a
constituent assembly. (END)
Press Release: Office of Rep. Robert Ace Barbers
03 December 2017
Contact: Mervin 0917 574 0866/ Abby 0917 800 3642
Barbers commends PDEA for BGC drug bust,
appreciates Aquino’s humble gesture of apology
Surigao
del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers today commended the Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for the drug bust at an upscale hotel in Bonifacio
Global City, Taguig.
“I would
like to commend the PDEA for their swift action that led to the arrest of
suspected drug suppliers and the seizure of P387,000 worth of illegal drugs,”
said Barbers, who is Chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs.
On
Sunday, PDEA agents barged inside Unit 609 of Seda Hotel on 11th Avenue and
caught some of the suspects having sex while the rest were using drugs, two of
them were suspected of supplying party drugs to bar-goers and celebrities.
However,
despite the successful operation, the PDEA was slammed by netizens for their
supposed lack of discretion when it was revealed in a press conference that one
of the arrested suspects is living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
Aquino later apologized for the unintended disclosure.
Barbers
noted that people who are criticizing the PDEA for the disclosure should
instead see the bigger picture and appreciate that the agency was able to
apprehend the drug pushers.
“Aquino
and the rest of PDEA deserve commendation for the successful drug operation.
Let us not cast stones at PDEA while we defend the drug suspects. Ang PDEA ang
kakampi natin sa laban na ito, hindi itong mga suspects na nagbebenta at
gumagamit ng pinagbabawal na gamot. Remember, it was a drug session that was
foiled, not just any party. Let us not veer away from the real issue that is
illegal drugs,” Barbers stated.
While
Barbers affirmed that he appreciates Aquino’s apology for the slipup, he
nonetheless reminded the PDEA and other law enforcement agencies to uphold the
rule of law in the drug war at all times.
“In our
mission to rid our society of illegal drugs, let us not forget to honor the law
at all times. Hindi puwede na humuhuli ka ng drug suspects, tapos kakalimutan
mo na may ibang batas ka pang dapat sundin. At the end of the day, we are all
public servants and we are expected to place loyalty to the Constitution,”
Barbers added.
PAHAYAG NI KAGALANG-GALANG
BERNADETTE “BH” HERRERA-DY
Bagong Henerasyon Party-list
Chair, Committee on Public Information
NOW NA! PANAHON NA PARA BAGUHIN MGA LUMANG BATAS
UKOL SA RECKLESS IMPRUDENCE, TRAPIK, AT DISIPLINA SA KALSADA
Nanawagan
na ako, sa pamamagitan ng isang panukalang resolusyon sa Kamara (House Resolution
1486), para sa masusing pagrebisa ng ilang batas trapiko at disiplina sa
kalsada na pinaglumaan na ng panahon (gaya nga ng tila di makatwirang probisyon
sa reckless imprudence – tingnan ang mga halimbawa sa mga link sa Sanggunian sa
ibaba ng pahayag).
Ang
panawagan na ito ay nakatuon sa Department of Transportation, Department of
Justice, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Public Works and
Highways, Office of the Court Administrator at the Supreme Court, the
University of the Philippines Law Center, the Commission on Higher Education,
at Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
Hinihimok
ko sila na magbalangkas ng isang bagong Land Transportation and Traffic Code.
Noong 1964 pa naging batas ang Land Transportation and Traffic Code (RA 4136)
became law. Ang lola ng lola ng mga batas krimen ng Pilipinas, ang Revised
Penal Code, ay 1930 pa naging batas. Ang Public Service Law (Commonwealth Act
No. 146), na tungkol sa issuance ng certificate of public convenience o
prangkisa ay 1936 pa. Ang Civil Code of the Philippines (RA 386) na mayroong
mga probisyon patungkol sa obligasyon ng mga tao sa isa't isa ay 1949 pa.
Panahon
na para sa isang bagong batas sa trapiko at disiplina sa lansangan na akma sa
mga bagong pamantayan sa buong mundo, bago at umuusbong na teknolohiya, at mga
sitwasyon na hindi pa naisip noon ng mga bumalangkas ng mga lumang batas.
Kailangan
ng isang Inter-Agency Task Force na binubuo ng mga eksperto sa iba’t ibang
sangay ng ehekutibo na mga may “technical expertise” na siyang magbabalangkas
ng bill. Handa akong isulong ang draft bill na isasaayos ang mga pamantayan at
proseso ukol sa:
• driver's license;
• land vehicle design and
manufacturing;
• design and construction of roads and
bridges; at
• law enforcement, investigation,
prosecution, and adjudication.
Mayroon
dapat tayong Traffic Court o adjudication board na puro mga kaso sa batas
trapiko at road safety ang lilitisin.
Kailangan
nakapaloob sa batas ang automatic review ng mga probisyon nito tuwing ikalimang
taon. (WAKAS)
PRESS RELEASE
Reference: Gil Bugaoisan
Contact: 09053398753
Nograles wants full systems audit on MRT3 before
getting a new maintenance provider
Puwersa
ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) Partylist Rep. Jericho Nograles today said the
Department of Transportation (DOTr) should conduct a full systems audit first
on the entire MRT 3 system before even thinking about getting a new maintenance
service contractor.
According
to Nograles, while he supports the move of DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade to
immediately search for options on who would take over the maintenance of MRT3
after rescinding the contract of Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI), he should
first get reliable data on the problems that needs to be quickly addressed for
the rehabilitation of the MRT3.
"The
DOTr should conduct a full system audit first! Hindi ko alam bakit inuuna ni
Sec Tugade ang paghahanap ng kontratista kung di pa nila alam gaano kabigat ang
problema ng MRT3," Nograles pointed out.
Nograles,
who was behind the series of exposé on the anomalies surrounding the MRT 3's
previous maintenance deal with BURI, said that the DOTr should have a short
term and a long term plan on how to address the problems hounding the train
system.
"
What are the short term fixes that would at least reduce the glitches? Do they
need to replace all the tracks in the long term to ensure the full
rehabilitation of the entire system? If the Government will not conduct a
system audit and just award a Contractor, the sins of all previous contractors
will be whitewashed," Nograles said.
"Sa
lahat ng takeover, ang pinakaunang dapat gawin ay Audit. Kung walang audit, di
natin alam sino ang may kasalanan ng mga defects at missing parts. That is
simple due diligence that the Government must execute. That is just common
sense," Nograles added.
Part of
the systems audit should include a detailed investigation on what happened to
the Bombardier Vehicle Logic Units (VLUs) which were mysteriously replaced with
unauthorized and mismatched VLUs.
Nograles
revealed that out of the 73 MRT3 cars, only one is still equipped with the
original Bombardier VLUwhich serves as the "brain" and the primary
automatic safety device for MRT 3 Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) while the rest
have been pilfered and were replaced with "chopsuey" and unauthorized
parts.
After
terminating BURI's maintenance contract, the DOTr has announced that it would
like tap the services of MRT3's original maintenance service provider, Sumitomo
Corporation and its technical partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries under a government-to-government (G2G)
agreement with Japan.
KABAYAN PARTY-LIST
(Kabalikat ng Mamamayan)
For more information, contact:
Rep. Ron P. Salo 0917-729-2437
Atty. Ciriaco S. Calalang 0920-294-0156
PNP FIRST RESPONDER AT NOV 14 MRT 3 MEDICAL
EMERGENCY IS A REGISTERED NURSE
KABAYAN Party-list to honor PO2 Agustin and buddies
in a ceremony in EPD
Police
Officer 2 Danilo Agustin, one of two cops on patrol at the MRT 3 Ayala station
on November 14 when Angeline Fernando lost her right arm, is a registered
nurse. He was in the Class of 2009 of the Capitol Medical Center Colleges and
became a RN that same year.
KABAYAN
Party-list, led by its chairman, Congressman Ron Salo, will honor Agustin and
his buddy that day, PO1 Ramil Almano, in simple rites at the Eastern Police
District headquarters to be led by EPD Chief Romulo Sapitula on December 4,
2017 at 7AM.
Each cop
shall receive a KABAYAN BAYANI Award plaque and cash gift.
"Quick
thinking, clear decisions, and calmness in a critical situation were in full
display that day at the MRT 3. Those qualities exemplify what the Emergency
Medical Services System bill (HB 4955) seeks to achieve," according to
Salo.
Atty.
Ciriaco Calalang, KABAYAN Third Nominee getting ready to replace now
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, said PO2 Agustin is one clear example
that not all police officers have to be graduates of criminology or alumni of
the PNP Academy.
"Nurses
and other professionals who want to serve the Filipino people as police
officers may join the PNP. Many nurses are unemployed. They can join government
service by serving in the PNP and the AFP," Calalang said.
KABAYAN
Secretary General Joshua Sebastian said, "the Party-list is crafting a
community and volunteer-based first aid training program, for which they would
be inviting PO2 Danilo Agustin and Dr. Charlie Jandic as resource
persons."
AGUSTIN
RECALLS MRT 3 INCIDENT
PO2
Agustin and PO1 Almano were on patrol duty at the MRT 3 Ayala station for the
ASEAN Summit meetings that afternoon of November 14.
"Nakita
ko babae, si Ms. Angeline, na nakahiga sa platform at nakahiwalay 'yung braso
nya na nasa riles. Naghanap ako ng kahit anong panali. Binigay sakin ni PSI
Bate yung belt nya, 'yun ang ginamit kong panali as improvised tourniquet para
maiwasan na maubusan ng dugo si Ms. Angeline," PO2 Dan Agustin said.
He added
that he told a guard to the severed arm and place it in a container with ice.
"Nauna
po si Ms. Jandic kesa sa amin kasi po pasahero din po sya," cop-nurse
recalled.
"Si
PO1 Almano ang umakyat pabalik ng clinic para kunin yung stretcher na ginamit
namin pangdala kay Ms. Angeline sa MRT Ayala clinic. Dun namin pinagpatuloy
yung first aid.
Agustin
applied his nurse training and skills in tandem with Dr. Charlie Jandic, the
doctor who happened to be at the same MRT 3 station when Ms. Fernando had her
accident.
"Kinuha
ko vital signs ni Ms. Angeline, blood pressure. Tumulong ako maglagay ng swero
sa pasyente. Nilinis ko po sugat nya at nilagyan natin ng dressing. Nilinis ko
yung duguang binti at braso ng pasyente. Sinamahan ko sila hanggang makarating
ng hospital," Agustin also said.
Agustin
and Almano did not leave until their patient was settled in at the Makati
Medical Center.
"Kinausap
ko dad nya. Sinamahan ko sa MRT Ayala dad po nya para makausap nya at
mag-discuss ng pangyayari. Tumawag din ako sa Makati Police para ipaprepare
yung police report as requirement para sa Intellicare. Nung maayos na po yung
lahat tsaka palang po ako bumalik sa pwesto namin at tinapos ko po duty ko
hanggang 10pm ng Nov. 14," Agustin said.
Agustin
is assigned to the Eastern Police District. He has been with the PNP fir six
years and six months now. When he was PO1, he was assigned in Marikina City.
"Ginawa
po lamang natin yung trabaho po natin. Tumulong sa kapwa. Normal lang po ng
gawin ng isang pulis sir. Salamat po natutuwa po ako at tinuturing po akong
bayani ng mga tao po. Salamat po," PO2 Agustin said. (END)
NEWS Release
04 December 2017
House OKs bill prohibiting
unattended kids in motor vehicles
The House of Representatives
unanimously approved on third and final reading House Bill 6570 which seeks to
prohibit leaving children eight years old and below unattended in motor
vehicles.
The bill provides that no child
younger than the developmental age of eight years shall be left unattended
inside a motor vehicle without supervision by a person aged 18 years or older
under any of the following circumstances: the conditions present a significant
risk to the child’s health or safety; the engine of the motor vehicle is
running; or the key to the motor vehicle is anywhere inside the motor
compartment of the vehicle.
The bill provides for a penalty of
P5,000 for the first offense, P10,000 for the second offense and P50,000 with
confiscation of the driver’s license for the third offense. Any subsequent
offense shall carry the penalty of revocation of the driver’s license.
It mandates the Land Transportation
Office (LTO) to conduct a nationwide public awareness campaign on the
prohibition and dangers of leaving children unattended inside motor vehicles.
The LTO, in consultation with the
member-agencies of the Council for the Welfare of Children, shall issue the
implementing rules and regulations of the measure once it is enacted into law.
Authors of the bill expressed the
belief that through education and legislation, the injuries and deaths caused
by the dangerous practice of leaving children unattended in motor vehicles can
be greatly reduced.
They also emphasized that parents,
relatives or guardians should always be made aware that unsupervised children
in a motor vehicle pose a great threat to the kids' safety and unnecessary
emotional burden to their families.
Authors of HB 6570 are Reps. Strike
Revilla, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado, Marlyn Alonte,
Manuel Monsour del Rosario, Salvador Belaro, Jr., Greg Gasataya, Pablo Ortega,
Michael Romero PhD., John Marvin Nieto, Wilter Wee Palma, Dale Malapitan,
Lianda Bolilia, Johnny Pimentel, Eric Martinez, Jose Enrique Garcia III,
Bernadette Herrera-Dy, Tricia Nicole Velasco-Catera, Emmanuel Madrona, Alberto
Ungab, Vicente Veloso, Deogracias Victor Savellano, Aniceto Bertiz III, Jericho
Jonas Nograles, Ma. Lucille Nava, Ma. Theresa Collantes, Horacio Suansing,
Estrellita Suansing, Lorna Bautista-Bandigan, Joseph Sto. Niño Bernos,
Alexandria Gonzales, Ma. Lourdes Aggabao and Angelia Tan. (30)
THE
HONORABLE FREDERICK W. SIAO
Lone
District of Iligan City
Vice Chair, Committee on Tourism
Vice Chair, Committee on Tourism
Member,
Appropriations, Economic Affairs, and 8 other committees
Facebook:
/congressmansiao Twitter: @freddiesiao
ILIGAN
CITY REP. SIAO PABOR SA SPECIAL SESSION AT GAWING URGENT BILLS ANG HB 6579, SB
1311
Bilang
reaksyon sa usap-usapan at balita na baka magkaroon ng special session ang
Kongreso sa mga darating na buwan para sa ilang panukalang batas, iminungkahi
ni Iligan City Lone District Representative Frederick Siao na isama sa special
session ang malapit nang maging batas na Ease of Doing Business Act o House
Bill 6579 at ang bersyon nito sa Senado na Expanded Anti-Red Tape Act o
Senate Bill 1311.
Ayon kay
Siao, mas mabuti kung mas maagang maisasabatas ang HB 6579 at SB 1311 para
umusad na agad ang mga susunod na hakbang sa pagpapatupad nito.
Kailangan
pa kasing maglabas ng implementing rules and regulations at ilatag ang mga
information technology systems na gagamitin.
"Malaking
ginhawa sa mga nais magtayo ng negosyo, maliit man o malaki, kapag mapabilis
ang pagproceso ng mga permit at clearance sa mga city hall, munisipyo, at
kapitolyo," ayon kay Siao.
Karamihan
naman sa mga probisyon ng HB 6579 at SB 1311 ay magkakatulad at iilan lang ang
mga probisyon na magkaiba.
"Mayo
2018 kasi matatapos ang kasalukuyan second regular session ng 17th Congress.
Disyembre na tayo ngayon at magkakaroon pa ng holiday break ang Congress, kaya
malamang niyan ay sa Enero o Pebrero ng 2018 pa maaksyunan ang HB 6579 at SB
1311 kung walang 'certification as urgent' ang bills ngayong Disyembre,"
paliwanag ni Siao.
Naghihinayang
si Siao sa mga linggo o buwan na hindi agad uusad ng dalawang bill dahil
madedelay din ang paggawa ng implementing rules at IT systems kapag wala pang
bagong batas.
Dahil
kaunti lang ang magkakaibang probisyon ng HB 6579 at SB 1311, inaasahan ni Siao
na magiging mabilis ang trabaho ng bicameral conference committee.
Sa SB
1311, isang Business Anti-Red Tape and Competitiveness Bureau ang itatatag. Sa
HB 6579, Ease of Doing Business Commission ang itatayo.
"Sana
kung ang kakatigan ng bicam ay yung bureau, siguruhin nila na line bureau ang
mangyayari dahil mas may kapangyarihan iyon kaysa staff bureau lamang,"
ayon kay Siao.
Batay sa
Administrative Code of 1987, mas malakas ang line bureau kasi ito ay
tagapagpatupad ng batas at mga kautusan, habang ang staff bureau ay support
lamang sa department secretary.
Ang line
bureau pati ay nakapaloob sa department o kagawaran, hindi nasa labas tulad ng
isang commission, na itinuturing na attached agency ayon sa Administrative
Code.
Makakaabala
sa takbo ng isang komisyon ang paglilipat nito sa ibat-ibang department gaya
nang naranasan na ng ibang mga ahensiya.
"The
decision is now with the bicameral conference committee on which approach to
adopt. The commission approach in HB 6579 provides for regional offices, but
not field offices in cities and towns," pahabol ni Siao.
News Release
03 December 2017
House OKs bill prohibiting unattended kids in motor
vehicles
The House of Representatives unanimously
approved on third and final reading House Bill 6570 which seeks to prohibit
leaving children eight years old and below unattended in motor vehicles.
The bill
provides that no child younger than the developmental age of eight years shall
be left unattended inside a motor vehicle without supervision by a person aged
18 years or older under any of the
following circumstances: the conditions present a significant risk to the child’s
health or safety; the engine of the motor vehicle is running; or the key to the
motor vehicle is anywhere inside the motor compartment of the vehicle.
The bill
provides for a penalty of P5,000 for the first offense, P10,000 for the second
offense and P50,000 with confiscation of the driver’s license for the third
offense. Any subsequent offense shall carry the penalty of revocation of the
driver’s license.
It
mandates the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to conduct a nationwide public
awareness campaign on the prohibition and dangers of leaving children
unattended inside motor vehicles.
The LTO,
in consultation with the member-agencies of the Council for the Welfare of
Children, shall issue the implementing rules and regulations of the measure
once it is enacted into law.
Authors
of the bill expressed the belief that through education and legislation, the
injuries and deaths caused by the dangerous practice of leaving children
unattended in motor vehicles can be greatly reduced.
They also
emphasized that parents, relatives or guardians should always be made aware
that unsupervised children in a motor vehicle pose a great threat to the kids'
safety and unnecessary emotional burden to their families.
Authors
of HB 6570 are Reps. Strike Revilla, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Jose Antonio
Sy-Alvarado, Marlyn Alonte, Manuel Monsour del Rosario, Salvador Belaro, Jr.,
Greg Gasataya, Pablo Ortega, Michael Romero PhD., John Marvin Nieto, Wilter Wee
Palma, Dale Malapitan, Lianda Bolilia, Johnny Pimentel, Eric Martinez, Jose
Enrique Garcia III, Bernadette Herrera-Dy, Tricia Nicole Velasco-Catera,
Emmanuel Madrona, Alberto Ungab, Vicente Veloso, Deogracias Victor Savellano,
Aniceto Bertiz III, Jericho Jonas Nograles, Ma. Lucille Nava, Ma. Theresa
Collantes, Horacio Suansing, Estrellita Suansing, Lorna Bautista-Bandigan,
Joseph Sto. Niño Bernos, Alexandria Gonzales, Ma. Lourdes Aggabao and Angelia
Tan.
PRESS RELEASE
DECEMBER 4, 2017
REFERENCE:
REP. JOSEPHINE Y. RAMIREZ-SATO – (0918) 9068294
RACHEL MORALA, Legislative Focal Person – (0917)
852 3380
Strive for excellence in public service, Sato urges
fellow public servants
Cong.
Josephine Ramirez-Sato of the Lone District of Occidental Mindoro who recently
received the Outstanding Congressman Award by Superbrands Marketing
International, Inc. for 2017 called on fellow public servants to strive for
excellence in serving the nation.
A total
of 15 congressional representatives, 10 public officials and 10 professionals
in this year’s Superbrands Outstanding Awards were feted for their contribution
to nation building during a ceremony at the City Club at Alphaland Center in
Makati City held on the last week of November.
“As
public servants, we must always strive hard in performing our sworn duties,
whether as national or local government officials. Amidst the political noise, more
professional, dedicated public servants and bureaucrats are the guarantees in ensuring
stability and in achieving good governance that will sustain economic growth
and development," Sato stressed.
"We
must strive harder and always adhere to the highest standard of excellence,”
Sato, a former Governor of Occidental Mindoro said.
Sato said
the need to continuously improve frontline services delivery, ensure
transparency in government transactions and projects, elevate standards, and
contribute to overall interest and welfare of the country and people is an
imperative for all those in public or government service.
SMI is an
award-giving body engaged in consumer and service products.
For the
past 26-years, SMI successfully introduced various certification and awards
conferred to Outstanding Province, Dignitaries, Governors, Mayors, Local
Legislators, and Professionals.
Superbrands
is the world’s biggest global brand arbiter, represented in 93 countries that
identify and pay tribute to the exceptional brands and category leaders.
Awardees
of Superbrands for Outstanding Congressman are those who enjoy the mandate of
their district or constituents, thereby validating their outstanding
legislations. Superbrands also validate
specific criteria to celebrate the award by way of bills filed in Congress,
bills ascending to Republic Acts; Advocacies and projects, and major accomplishments.
A former
Governor of Occidental Mindoro, the lady solon has filed a total of 35 bills of
national and local significance in the 17thCongress, some of which have already
been enacted into laws.
These
include Republic Act 10927 or An Act Designating Casinos as Covered persons
Under Republic Act 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001 which will
prevent money laundering of organized crime groups; Republic Act 10879 or An
Act Establishing The Southwestern Tagalog Region To Be Known As The MIMAROPA
Region which will give the region its own identity, hasten the delivery of
government transactions and boost economic development through more private
sector investments in the province.
Another
Sato bill that became a law is Republic Act10815 or An Act Providing For The
Establishment Of A Technical Education And Skills Development Center In The
Municipality Of Rizal, Province Of Occidental Mindoro To Be Known As The Rizal,
Occidental Mindoro TESDA Training And Accreditation Center that will enhance skills
and technical know-how of high school graduates in the province’s 11
municipalities.
A total
of 31 other Sato bills being pushed by the lawmaker are in various stages of
deliberations by different committees in the House of Representatives. This
includesHouse Bill No. 6624 seeking to amend Section 450 of Republic Act 7160
or the Local Government Code as amended by Republic Act 9009, to push the
creation of component cities in provinces with no cities. A total of 34 provinces that has no component
city will benefit from the bill once enacted into law.
As an
environmental advocate, Sato has also filed several pro-environment bills
including the Expanded – National Integrated Areas Protected Areas System
(E-NIPAS) Bill and the Access- and Benefit-Sharing of Philippine Genetic
Resources Bill which seeks to protect the country’s biodiversity against
various threats and promote the fair and equitable sharing from the
exploitation of animal- and plant-based resources with potential commercial
values.
As a member
and the “Tiger Lady” of the Commission on Appointments (CA), Sato, dutifully helped the
appointment`s body screen presidential
appointees to key government positions.
The current CA has stood its ground in rejecting 5 Cabinet nominees of
the Duterte administration, a first in the history of the powerful
Constitutional body.
Sato said
it is not important whether a public servant is occupying the highest position
in national or local government or a humble rank-and-file employee, as long as
he or she is dutifully doing his or her job with great enthusiasm, honesty, and
integrity.
“It is
not important what agency or office we are in, or whatever is our position in
government. What is important is we are
doing our job to the best of our ability and we never fail the people whom we
swore to serve,” Sato said. ###
News Release
04 December 2017
Sereno impeachment proceedings hit a snag; 4
justices to testify next week
The House
of Representatives won’t be able to vote this year to determine the existence
of probable cause in the impeachment charge against Supreme Court Chief Justice
Ma. Lourdes Sereno after its proceedings hit a snag over the testimony of three
other SC justices.
In an
interview, Justice Committee Chairman Reynaldo Umali told the media that the
committee had to revise its timetable after Supreme Court Associate Justices
Noel Tijam and Francis Jardeleza, as well as retired Justice Arturo Brion
requested to defer their testimony until December 11. Justice Teresita Leonardo
De Castro, who testified earlier, will testify anew on the same date.
Under its original schedule, the committee
expected to vote on the issue of probable cause by December 11 this year and
for the plenary voting to take place on December 13, the last session day of
Congress for 2017.
“January
na siguro ito. Hindi kami aabot, no matter what we do,” said Umali.
Anyway,
Umali said that based on their reckoning, the Justice Committee actually had
until May next year to comply with the constitutional requirement to rule on an
impeachment case within 60 session days from the time of referral to the
committee.
“We lost
I think about 5 session days nung ASEAN (summit) plus eto pa, yung because of the inability of the Supreme
Court to promulgate yung decision-although they already gave a press briefing
-allowing court personnel and justices to testify,” Umali explained.
Umali
urged the high court to immediately promulgate the decision on the issue to
ensure the attendance of invited guests in the impeachment proceedings.
In
addition to the revised timetable, Umali said the committee would also have to
tailor-fit the agenda of the hearings to focus on the areas that the SC
justices would testify on.
In the
past week, the committee tacked evidence in connection with charges of
corruption and culpable violation of the constitution that Atty. Lorenzo Gadon
raised against Sereno. This week, the committee is supposed to tackle matters
relating to allegations of betrayal of public trust and other high crimes.
“Hindi
na. We don’t want to prolong the testimony of justices who have personal
knowledge of all of these things. So we might as well finish it first before we
go to the next two grounds,” Umali said.
For its
scheduled hearing tomorrow, the Justice Committee would focus on allegations
that Sereno delayed the release of retirement benefits of justices and judges
and benefits for the surviving spouses of deceased justices and judges.
Meanwhile,
Umali bared that records of Sereno’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net
Worth (SALN) are missing too in the Office of the Ombudsman.
“The
Office of the Ombudsman will certify that they do not have those records so we
are still awaiting their submission of the certification,” Umali said.
Earlier,
officials of the University of the Philippines testified that the only extant
SALN of Sereno in their files is that for the year 2002 although she taught
there from 2001 to 2009.
The
committee had asked UP to submit copies of Sereno’s SALN to check her claim
that she declared properly her earnings of over P30 million in the PIATCO
(Philippine International Air Terminals Company, Inc.) case and paid the proper taxes for it.
News Release
04 December 2017
House goes bayanihan for emergency relief
operations
The House
of Representatives has adopted a resolution calling for establishment of the
Disaster Relief Fund of the chamber to
ensure immediate financial support for emergency relief operations in
disaster-stricken areas.
House
Resolution 1484, principally authored by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez (1st
District, Davao del Norte), was adopted as HR 76 which shall establish the
"Disaster Relief Fund of the House of Representatives" as an identifiable, reliable and readily-available
source of funds for disaster relief operations.
This will
provide the House a structured and consistent process of raising funds and
giving immediate financial assistance to disaster-stricken areas.
The
Philippines, as cited in the resolution, is prone to high incidence of natural
calamities such as typhoons, floods, storm surges, earthquakes, tsunamis,
volcanic eruptions, landslides and droughts given the country’s geographical
location and physical environment.
Aside
from natural calamities, the country also experiences man-made disasters such
as urban or structural fires, epidemic or disease outbreak, oil spillage,
terrorist attacks, and other emergencies, including those dealing with
internally displaced persons as a result of armed conflicts.
The
Speaker said poverty and the impact of climate change further exacerbate the
vulnerability of many Filipinos to the effects of natural calamities and
man-made disasters particularly the elderly, persons with disabilities, women
and children.
“The
severity of natural calamities in the country has dramatically increased in the
past several years and the incidence of these disasters, whether natural or
human-induced, will always be a challenge that many House Members will have to
cope within their respective constituencies during their incumbency,” the
Speaker said.
The
resolution provides that the House Disaster Relief Fund shall be initially
funded by the voluntary contributions from the House members through a one-time
deduction of at least P10,000 from their monthly salary.
Any House
Member may authorize the Accounting Service to deduct bigger amounts from their
monthly salary as contribution to the Disaster Relief Fund or signify their
intention to be excluded in the salary deduction scheme to raise funds for the
Disaster Relief Fund.
Upon
adoption of a resolution providing for financial assistance to any part of the
country identified by the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management
Council (NDRRMC) as an area most affected by a disaster or calamity, the
Speaker shall authorize the disbursement of money in favor of a Local
Government Unit (LGU) or a reputable Non-Government Organization (NGO) or Civil
Society Organization (CSO) vetted by the City or Municipal Social Welfare and
Development Officer of any city or municipality affected by the disaster, as
payee or beneficiary of the proceeds of the Disaster Relief Fund.
In case
the Congress is not in session, the Speaker, with the concurrence of the House
Minority and Majority Leader, is authorized to allocate and release financial assistance
sourced from the Disaster Relief Fund in response to a recognized disaster
affecting a specific area.
The
Speaker shall provide a report to the House Members detailing the available
funds and disbursements from the Disaster relief Fund not later that 60 days
after every disbursement.
The
Speaker shall, in consultation with the Chairperson of the Committee on
Accounts, issue guidelines for the
effective implementation of the adopted resolution, including the
identification of reputable national organizations involved in disaster relief
efforts which may be engaged to manage the Disaster Relief Fund.
Other
authors of the resolution are Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas (1st District,
Ilocos Norte), committee on accounts chairperson Rep. Elenita Milagros
Ermita-Buhain (1st District, Batangas) and committee on national defense and
security chairman Rep. Amado Espino, Jr. (5th District, Pangasinan).
04 December 2017
STATEMENT OF CONG. JB BERNOS (Lone District – Abra)
ON THE ALLEGED ADVERSE EFFECTS OF THE DENGVAXIA VACCINE ON SCHOOLCHILDREN
On 29
November 2017, Sanofi Pasteur, manufacturer of the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia,
warned the public against the adverse effects of its own vaccine. The warning
mentioned that children who received the vaccine without having prior dengue
infection may be exposed to more severe cases of dengue in their lifetime.
Outrage poured in from the medical community and policymakers for the
irresponsibility and failure of former Department of Health officials to thoroughly
study the effects of vaccine before releasing it for public use.
The
Province of Abra is not immune to the dengue infection. Most recently, last
August, the Province had 11 cases of dengue in the towns of La Paz, Danglas,
and Lagayan. For this year, there had
been so far more than 133 cases in Abra. Despite the low number of cases, we
cannot be complacent that there will be no more cases of dengue in our
Province. Prevalence of dengue may be low, but the extreme caution must be
exercised to avoid more cases.
A dengue
vaccine is welcome for us, seeing that vaccines are developed to protect
children from life-threatening diseases. We cannot deny them that healthcare
service that enables protection for many years. However, what we cannot accept
in this matter regarding the Dengvaxia vaccine is that it was rushed and was
not subjected to meticulous investigation of multiple stakeholders.
Seeing
that the advisory poses an imminent public health concern, I will be filing a
resolution to formally request the House Committees on Health, on Basic
Education and Culture, and on Good Government and Public Accountability to
reopen the investigation on this matter, so that, for once and for all, hold
accountable and responsible all involved officials who led us to this crisis.
Public
health, especially the welfare of our children, must not be compromised in the
name of expediency. Doing so is a great disservice to the people, and only
serves the interest of the few.
News Release
04 December 2017
Sereno impeachment proceedings hit a snag; 4
justices to testify next week
The House
of Representatives won’t be able to vote this year to determine the existence
of probable cause in the impeachment charge against Supreme Court Chief Justice
Ma. Lourdes Sereno after its proceedings hit a snag over the testimony of three
other SC justices.
In an
interview, Justice Committee Chairman Reynaldo Umali told the media that the
committee had to revise its timetable after Supreme Court Associate Justices
Noel Tijam and Francis Jardeleza, as well as retired Justice Arturo Brion
requested to defer their testimony until December 11. Justice Teresita Leonardo
De Castro, who testified earlier, will testify anew on the same date.
Under its original schedule, the committee
expected to vote on the issue of probable cause by December 11 this year and
for the plenary voting to take place on December 13, the last session day of
Congress for 2017.
“January
na siguro ito. Hindi kami aabot, no matter what we do,” said Umali.
Anyway,
Umali said that based on their reckoning, the Justice Committee actually had
until May next year to comply with the constitutional requirement to rule on an
impeachment case within 60 session days from the time of referral to the
committee.
“We lost
I think about 5 session days nung ASEAN (summit) plus eto pa, yung because of the inability of the Supreme
Court to promulgate yung decision-although they already gave a press briefing
-allowing court personnel and justices to testify,” Umali explained.
Umali urged
the high court to immediately promulgate the decision on the issue to ensure
the attendance of invited guests in the impeachment proceedings.
In
addition to the revised timetable, Umali said the committee would also have to
tailor-fit the agenda of the hearings to focus on the areas that the SC
justices would testify on.
In the
past week, the committee tacked evidence in connection with charges of
corruption and culpable violation of the constitution that Atty. Lorenzo Gadon
raised against Sereno. This week, the committee is supposed to tackle matters
relating to allegations of betrayal of public trust and other high crimes.
“Hindi
na. We don’t want to prolong the testimony of justices who have personal
knowledge of all of these things. So we might as well finish it first before we
go to the next two grounds,” Umali said.
For its
scheduled hearing tomorrow, the Justice Committee would focus on allegations
that Sereno delayed the release of retirement benefits of justices and judges
and benefits for the surviving spouses of deceased justices and judges.
Meanwhile,
Umali bared that records of Sereno’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net
Worth (SALN) are missing too in the Office of the Ombudsman.
“The
Office of the Ombudsman will certify that they do not have those records so we
are still awaiting their submission of the certification,” Umali said.
Earlier,
officials of the University of the Philippines testified that the only extant
SALN of Sereno in their files is that for the year 2002 although she taught
there from 2001 to 2009.
The
committee had asked UP to submit copies of Sereno’s SALN to check her claim
that she declared properly her earnings of over P30 million in the PIATCO
(Philippine International Air Terminals Company, Inc.) case and paid the proper taxes for it.
News Release
04 December 2017
House goes bayanihan for emergency relief
operations
The House
of Representatives has adopted a resolution calling for establishment of the
Disaster Relief Fund of the chamber to
ensure immediate financial support for emergency relief operations in
disaster-stricken areas.
House
Resolution 1484, principally authored by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez (1st
District, Davao del Norte), was adopted as HR 76 which shall establish the
"Disaster Relief Fund of the House of Representatives" as an identifiable, reliable and
readily-available source of funds for disaster relief operations.
This will
provide the House a structured and consistent process of raising funds and
giving immediate financial assistance to disaster-stricken areas.
The
Philippines, as cited in the resolution, is prone to high incidence of natural
calamities such as typhoons, floods, storm surges, earthquakes, tsunamis,
volcanic eruptions, landslides and droughts given the country’s geographical
location and physical environment.
Aside
from natural calamities, the country also experiences man-made disasters such
as urban or structural fires, epidemic or disease outbreak, oil spillage,
terrorist attacks, and other emergencies, including those dealing with
internally displaced persons as a result of armed conflicts.
The
Speaker said poverty and the impact of climate change further exacerbate the
vulnerability of many Filipinos to the effects of natural calamities and
man-made disasters particularly the elderly, persons with disabilities, women
and children.
“The
severity of natural calamities in the country has dramatically increased in the
past several years and the incidence of these disasters, whether natural or
human-induced, will always be a challenge that many House Members will have to
cope within their respective constituencies during their incumbency,” the
Speaker said.
The
resolution provides that the House Disaster Relief Fund shall be initially
funded by the voluntary contributions from the House members through a one-time
deduction of at least P10,000 from their monthly salary.
Any House
Member may authorize the Accounting Service to deduct bigger amounts from their
monthly salary as contribution to the Disaster Relief Fund or signify their
intention to be excluded in the salary deduction scheme to raise funds for the
Disaster Relief Fund.
Upon
adoption of a resolution providing for financial assistance to any part of the
country identified by the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management
Council (NDRRMC) as an area most affected by a disaster or calamity, the
Speaker shall authorize the disbursement of money in favor of a Local
Government Unit (LGU) or a reputable Non-Government Organization (NGO) or Civil
Society Organization (CSO) vetted by the City or Municipal Social Welfare and
Development Officer of any city or municipality affected by the disaster, as
payee or beneficiary of the proceeds of the Disaster Relief Fund.
In case
the Congress is not in session, the Speaker, with the concurrence of the House
Minority and Majority Leader, is authorized to allocate and release financial
assistance sourced from the Disaster Relief Fund in response to a recognized
disaster affecting a specific area.
The
Speaker shall provide a report to the House Members detailing the available
funds and disbursements from the Disaster relief Fund not later that 60 days
after every disbursement.
The
Speaker shall, in consultation with the Chairperson of the Committee on
Accounts, issue guidelines for the
effective implementation of the adopted resolution, including the
identification of reputable national organizations involved in disaster relief
efforts which may be engaged to manage the Disaster Relief Fund.
Other
authors of the resolution are Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas (1st District,
Ilocos Norte), committee on accounts chairperson Rep. Elenita Milagros
Ermita-Buhain (1st District, Batangas) and committee on national defense and
security chairman Rep. Amado Espino, Jr. (5th District, Pangasinan).
News Release
05 December 2017
House boosts access to education by out-of-school
youth, PWDs
The House
committee on basic education chaired by Rep. Ramon Durano IV (5th District,
Cebu) today approved a bill that will boost accessibility to education of
underserved sectors of the country such as the out-of-school youth and persons
with disabilities (PWDs).
The
unnumbered substitute bill consolidates House Bill 2733 filed by by Rep. Aurelio Gonzales (3rd
District, Pampanga), HB 3292 by Rep. Tom Villarin (Party-list, AKBAYAN), HB
3706 by Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez (1st District, Leyte), HB 4029 by Rep.
Salvador Belaro Jr. (Party-list,1-ANG EDUKASYON), HB 4307 by Rep. Florida Robes
(Lone District, San Jose Del Monte City), HB 3333 by Rep. Victoria Isabel Noel
(Party-list , AN WARAY), HB 4386 by Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy (Party-list,
BH), and HB 6039 by Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. (2nd District, Camarines
Sur).
The bill
institutionalizes the Alternative Learning System (ALS) in the basic education
for out-of-school children, youth, and adults; persons with disabilities;
indigenous peoples; and other marginalized sectors of society. The bill also
covers learners in unreached, underserved, and conflict-affected communities.
The
measure seeks to provide these disenfranchised sectors equal opportunity to
improve their informal, non-formal, and indigenous education through programs
tailored to meet their limited schedule.
In sum,
the bill endeavors to surmount the time, physical, emotional, economic, and
other constraints barring millions of individuals from benefiting from
traditional classroom learning experience.
The bill
also seeks to promote lifelong learning in all streams of education to ensure
the learners’ sustainable future, and to institute a mobile teacher program
especially in far-flung communities.
With the
approval of the bill, the ALS is established as a parallel learning system for
learners who, for acceptable reasons to be determined by the Department of Education
(DepEd), cannot be admitted to the existing formal basic education system.
DepEd
will strengthen the implementation of Non-Formal Education (NFE) and Informal
Education (InfEd) programs.
The NFE
program is designed to be modular and flexible so that learning can take place
anytime and anyplace that is convenient and available to the ASL learners. It
is subdivided into the Basic Literacy Program (BLP) for people who are
illiterate; and the Continuing Education: Accreditation and Equivalency (CE: A&E)
Program for elementary education dropouts.
To
deliver the ALS programs, DepEd may utilize learning modules which contain
learning activities, and pre- and post-assessments. DepEd may also use
supplementary materials like text and non-text modules, self learning
instructional materials, learning activity packages, online or digital modules,
textbooks, e-modules or blended technology learning materials.
DepEd
will also prescribe an appropriate number of session hours or days required for
the completion of the ALS programs to ensure that learners receive adequate and
quality schooling and training at par with the formal education system. Passers
of the ALS are qualified to enrol in junior high school or senior high school
education.
The bill
taps the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to promote technical vocational
education and training programs and gainful employment opportunities for ALS
passers.
ALS
Learning Facilitators, comprised of ALS Mobile Teachers, Literacy Volunteers,
and Instructional Managers, will augment the manpower resources needed in
implementation of the ALS programs. These instructors will undergo the
necessary training regularly throughout the calendar year to ensure the quality
of their teaching skills.
Moreover,
each municipality and city will have at least one ALS Community Center. The
Centers, as much as possible, shall be situated at a place conducive for
learning and accessible to the public.
The bill also
mandates the establishment of a local ALS committee to oversee the
implementation of the program within the municipality or city, coordinate with
the necessary government agencies and local government units, and serve as an
advisory board to the Sangguniang Panglungsod or Sangguniang Bayan.
The
substitute bill received the strong support of DepEd, and of all the committee
members.
News Release
05 December 2017
House passes proposed "Philippine HIV and AIDS
Policy Act"
The House
of Representatives unanimously approved on third and final reading House Bill
6617 or the proposed "Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act" which seeks
to strengthen the government's comprehensive policy on Human Immunodeficiency
Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) prevention,
treatment, care and support, and to establish the Philippine National HIV and
AIDS Plan.
The bill
seeks to repeal for the purpose Republic Act No. 8504, otherwise known as the
“Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998”.
The
measure mandates the formulation of a six-year National Multi-Sectoral HIV and
AIDS Strategic Plan or an AIDS Medium-Term Plan (AMTP) which shall be
periodically updated by the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC).
It
proposes to reconstitute and streamline the PNAC which was established under RA
8504 to ensure the implementation of the country’s response to the HIV and AIDS
epidemic.
The AMTP
shall include the country’s targets and strategies in addressing the epidemic;
the prevention, treatment, care and support, and other components of the
country’s response; the six-year operationalization of the program and
identification of the government agencies that shall implement the program as
well as the budgetary requirements and a corollary investment plan that
identify the sources of funds for its implementation.
The
measure also provides for an HIV and AIDS prevention program that shall educate
the public on these and other sexually transmitted infections, with the goal of
reducing risky behavior, lowering vulnerabilities and promoting the human
rights of persons living with HIV.
It tasks
the PNAC to promote and adopt a range of measures and interventions, in
partnership with civil society organizations (CSOs) that aim to prevent, halt,
or control the spread of HIV in the general population, especially among the
key populations and vulnerable communities.
These
measures shall likewise promote the rights, welfare, and participation of
persons living with HIV and the affected children, young people, families and
partners of persons living with HIV.
The HIV
and AIDS education and prevention programs shall be age-appropriate and based
on up-to-date evidence and scientific strategies and shall actively promote
safer sex practices among the general population, especially among key
populations; safer sex practices that reduce risk of HIV infection; universal
access to evidence-based and relevant information and education, and medically
safe, affordable, effective and quality treatment; sexual abstinence and sexual
fidelity; and consistent and correct condom use.
The term
“key affected populations” refers to those groups of persons at higher risk of
HIV exposure, or affected populations whose behavior make them more likely to
be exposed to HIV or to transmit the virus, as determined by the Department of
Health (DOH).
The bill
mandates the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education
(CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to
integrate basic and age-appropriate instruction on the causes, modes of
transmission, impacts of HIV infection and ways of preventing the spread of HIV
and AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, human rights-based
principles, and information on treatment, care, and support to promote
stigma-reduction in relevant subjects taught in public and private learning
institutions, including alternative and indigenous learning systems using
standardized information and epidemiological data from the Department of Health
(DOH).
Moreover,
all public and private employers, and employees, including members of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) shall
be regularly provided with standardized basic information and instruction on
HIV and AIDS, including topics on confidentiality in the workplace and
reduction or elimination of stigma and discrimination.
The bill
mandates the State to ensure that all overseas Filipino workers and diplomatic,
military, trade, and labor officials and personnel to be assigned overseas
shall attend a seminar on the causes, manner of prevention and impacts of HIV
and AIDS before being granted a certification of overseas assignment.
The PNAC,
DOH and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG, in coordination
with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), League of
Provinces of the Philippines, League of Cities of the Philippines and League of
Municipalities of the Philippines, shall develop and disseminate to all
provinces, cities and municipalities evidence-based, gender-responsive,
age-appropriate, culturally-sensitive and human rights-oriented programs and
tools to prevent new infections, halt the spread of HIV and respond to the
epidemic in the local communities in a timely, effective and efficient manner.
The bill
also provides that the HIV/AIDS education and information dissemination shall
form part of the delivery of health services by health practitioners, workers
and personnel.
Authors
of the bill are Reps. Kaka Bag-ao, Harry Roque, Victor Yap, Deputy Speakers Pia
Cayetano, Sharon Garin and Romero Quimbo, Reps. Teddy Brawner Baguilat, Jr.,
Sandra Eriguel, Estrellita Suansing, Horacio Suansing, Jr., Imelda Marcos,
Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, Angelina Tan, Gary Alejano, Gus Tambunting, Tom Villarin,
Ron Salo, Raymond Democrito Mendoza, Gabriel Bordado, Jr., Lawrence Fortun,
Manuel Jose Dalipe, Edward Vera Perez Maceda, Ramon Rocamora, Elisa Kho, Marlyn
Primicias-Agabas, Sol Aragones, Rene Relampagos, Alfredo Garbin, Jr., Linabelle
Ruth Villarica, John Marvin Nieto, Teodoro Montoro, Joaquin Chipeco, Jr.,
Eleanor Bulut-Begtang, Carmelo Lazatin II, Ma. Lucille Nava, Anthony Bravo,
Nancy Catamco, Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado, Rodel Batocabe, Christopher Co, Pablo
Ortega, Mark Go, Ruby Sahali, Evelina Escudero, Alfred Vargas, Ma. Lourdes
Aggabao, Micaela Violago, Romeo, Acop, Michelle Antonio, Cecilia Leonila
Chavez, Luisa Lloren Cuaresma, Mario Vittorio Mariño, Wilter Wee Palma II,
Carlos Isagani Zarate, Maximo Rodriguez, Jr., Sarah Jane Elago, Florida Robes,
Roger Mercado, Anna Marie Villaraza-Suarez, Karlo Alexei Nograles, Rozzano
Rufino Biazon, Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo, Leopoldo Bataoil, Ana Cristina Go,
Scott Davies Lanete, Celso Lobregat, Len Alonte-Naguiat, Isagani Amatong,
Alfredo Benitez, Cheryl Deloso-Montalla, Ann Hofer, Virgilio Lacson, Dennis
Laogan, Joseph Stephen Paduano, Deogracias Ramos, Jesus Nonato Sacdalan, Jose
Tejada and Sherwin Tugna.
DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE?
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) argues that a
separate agency devoted solely to “arts and culture” can foster patriotism and
nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation.
This was posited in the NCCA briefing for the House Committee on Basic
Education chaired by Rep. Ramon H Durano VI.
Other lawmakers who attended the briefing were Deputy Majority Leader
Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Reps. Evelina G. Escudero, Jose Enrique S. Garcia III,
Mark O. Go, Rosanna V. Vergara, Vilma Santos-Recto, Ma. Lourdes R. Aggabao,
Gabriel H. Bordado Jr., Michelle M. Antonio, Cecilia Leonila V. Chavez, Celso
L. Lobregat, Winston T. Castelo, Cristal L. Bagatsing, Micaela S. Violago,
Christopher V.P De Venecia, Fernando V. Gonzales, Alfredo Benitez, Antonio L.
Tinio, and Joseph Stephen S. Paduano.
Resource persons included NCCA Chairman Virgilio Almario, Executive
Director Marichu Tellano, Department of Education Undersecretary Tonisito Umali
and other DepEd officers.
PRESS RELEASE
DECEMBER 4, 2017
REFERENCE:
REP. JOSEPHINE Y. RAMIREZ-SATO – (0918) 9068294
RACHEL MORALA, Legislative Focal Person – (0917) 852 3380
Strive for excellence in public service, Sato urges fellow public
servants
Cong. Josephine Ramirez-Sato of the Lone District of Occidental
Mindoro who recently received the Outstanding Congressman Award by Superbrands
Marketing International, Inc. for 2017 called on fellow public servants to
strive for excellence in serving the nation.
A total of 15 congressional representatives, 10 public officials and
10 professionals in this year’s Superbrands Outstanding Awards were feted for
their contribution to nation building during a ceremony at the City Club at
Alphaland Center in Makati City held on the last week of November.
“As public servants, we must always strive hard in performing our
sworn duties, whether as national or local government officials. Amidst
the political noise, more professional, dedicated public servants and
bureaucrats are the guarantees in ensuring stability and in achieving good
governance that will sustain economic growth and development," Sato
stressed.
"We must strive harder and always adhere to the highest standard
of excellence,” Sato, a former Governor of Occidental Mindoro said.
Sato said the need to continuously improve frontline services
delivery, ensure transparency in government transactions and projects, elevate
standards, and contribute to overall interest and welfare of the country and
people is an imperative for all those in public or government service.
SMI is an award-giving body engaged in consumer and service products.
For the past 26-years, SMI successfully introduced various
certification and awards conferred to Outstanding Province, Dignitaries,
Governors, Mayors, Local Legislators, and Professionals.
Superbrands is the world’s biggest global brand arbiter, represented
in 93 countries that identify and pay tribute to the exceptional brands and
category leaders.
Awardees of Superbrands for Outstanding Congressman are those who
enjoy the mandate of their district or constituents, thereby validating their
outstanding legislations. Superbrands also validate specific
criteria to celebrate the award by way of bills filed in Congress, bills
ascending to Republic Acts; Advocacies and projects, and major accomplishments.
A former Governor of Occidental Mindoro, the lady solon has filed a
total of 35 bills of national and local significance in the 17th Congress,
some of which have already been enacted into laws.
These include Republic Act 10927 or An Act Designating Casinos as
Covered persons Under Republic Act 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act of
2001 which will prevent money laundering of organized crime groups;
Republic Act 10879 or An Act Establishing The Southwestern Tagalog Region
To Be Known As The MIMAROPA Region which will give the region its own identity,
hasten the delivery of government transactions and boost economic development
through more private sector investments in the province.
Another Sato bill that became a law is Republic Act10815 or An Act
Providing For The Establishment Of A Technical Education And Skills Development
Center In The Municipality Of Rizal, Province Of Occidental Mindoro To Be Known
As The Rizal, Occidental Mindoro TESDA Training And Accreditation Center that
will enhance skills and technical know-how of high school graduates in the
province’s 11 municipalities.
A total of 31 other Sato bills being pushed by the lawmaker are in
various stages of deliberations by different committees in the House of
Representatives. This includes House Bill No.
6624 seeking to amend Section 450 of Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government
Code as amended by Republic Act 9009, to push the creation of component cities
in provinces with no cities. A total of 34 provinces that has no
component city will benefit from the bill once enacted into law.
As an environmental advocate, Sato
has also filed several pro-environment bills including the Expanded – National
Integrated Areas Protected Areas System (E-NIPAS) Bill and the Access- and
Benefit-Sharing of Philippine Genetic Resources Bill which seeks to protect the
country’s biodiversity against various threats and promote the fair and
equitable sharing from the exploitation of animal- and plant-based resources
with potential commercial values.
As a member and the “Tiger Lady” of the Commission on Appointments
(CA), Sato, dutifully helped the appointment`s body
screen presidential appointees to key government positions. The current CA
has stood its ground in rejecting 5 Cabinet nominees of the Duterte
administration, a first in the history of the powerful Constitutional body.
Sato said it is not important whether a public servant is occupying
the highest position in national or local government or a humble rank-and-file
employee, as long as he or she is dutifully doing his or her job with great
enthusiasm, honesty, and integrity.
“It is not important what agency or office we are in, or whatever is
our position in government. What is important is we are doing our job to
the best of our ability and we never fail the people whom we swore to serve,”
Sato said.
NEWS
Release
04
December 2017
Sereno
impeachment proceedings hit a snag; 4 justices to testify next week
The House
of Representatives won’t be able to vote this year to determine the existence
of probable cause in the impeachment charge against Supreme Court Chief Justice
Ma. Lourdes Sereno after its proceedings hit a snag over the testimony of three
other SC justices.
In an
interview, Justice Committee Chairman Reynaldo Umali told the media that the
committee had to revise its timetable after Supreme Court Associate Justices
Noel Tijam and Francis Jardeleza, as well as retired Justice Arturo Brion
requested to defer their testimony until December 11. Justice Teresita Leonardo
De Castro, who testified earlier, will testify anew on the same date.
Under
its original schedule, the committee expected to vote on the issue of probable
cause by December 11 this year and for the plenary voting to take place on
December 13, the last session day of Congress for 2017.
“January
na siguro ito. Hindi kami aabot, no matter what we do,” said Umali.
Anyway,
Umali said that based on their reckoning, the Justice Committee actually had
until May next year to comply with the constitutional requirement to rule on an
impeachment case within 60 session days from the time of referral to the
committee.
“We lost
I think about 5 session days nung ASEAN (summit) plus eto pa, yung
because of the inability of the Supreme Court to promulgate yung
decision-although they already gave a press briefing -allowing court personnel
and justices to testify,” Umali explained.
Umali
urged the high court to immediately promulgate the decision on the issue to
ensure the attendance of invited guests in the impeachment proceedings.
In
addition to the revised timetable, Umali said the committee would also have to
tailor-fit the agenda of the hearings to focus on the areas that the SC
justices would testify on.
In the
past week, the committee tacked evidence in connection with charges of
corruption and culpable violation of the constitution that Atty. Lorenzo Gadon
raised against Sereno. This week, the committee is supposed to tackle matters
relating to allegations of betrayal of public trust and other high crimes.
“Hindi
na. We don’t want to prolong the testimony of justices who have personal
knowledge of all of these things. So we might as well finish it first before we
go to the next two grounds,” Umali said.
For its
scheduled hearing tomorrow, the Justice Committee would focus on allegations
that Sereno delayed the release of retirement benefits of justices and judges
and benefits for the surviving spouses of deceased justices and judges.
Meanwhile,
Umali bared that records of Sereno’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net
Worth (SALN) are missing too in the Office of the Ombudsman.
“The
Office of the Ombudsman will certify that they do not have those records so we
are still awaiting their submission of the certification,” Umali said.
Earlier,
officials of the University of the Philippines testified that the only extant
SALN of Sereno in their files is that for the year 2002 although she taught
there from 2001 to 2009.
The
committee had asked UP to submit copies of Sereno’s SALN to check her claim
that she declared properly her earnings of over P30 million in the PIATCO
(Philippine International Air Terminals Company, Inc.) case and paid the
proper taxes for it.
NEWS
Release
05
December 2017
Delays in
benefits for surviving spouse of dead judges under Sereno confirmed
The
testimony of Court Administrator Midas Marquez before the Committee on Justice
virtually confirmed the allegations that Supreme Court Chief Justice Ma.
Lourdes Sereno was responsible for the long delays in the release of benefits
due to surviving spouse of deceased judges and justices.
In his
impeachment complaint against Sereno, lawyer Lorenzo Gadon charged that she
committed culpable violation of the constitution by delaying actions on
petitions for the release of such benefits.
Testifying
before the Justice Committee, Marquez said that before the creation of the
Special Committee on Civil Service and Retirement Benefits and two related
TWGs, the high court normally issues its decision on petitions for such
benefits in two to three weeks’ time.
‘After
the committee was created and the TWG was organized umaabot ng halos dalawang
taon bago maaksyunan ang kanilang application,” Marquez told the committee. The
committee was created via Memorandum Order 43-2015.
In his
Power Point presentation, Marquez noted that as a result of the creation of the
committee and the TWGs no application for such benefits were acted upon from
October 2015 to November 6, 2017.
The order
creating the committee was signed not only by Sereno but by Associate Justices
Antonio Carpio and Presbitero Velasco. However, Marquez said, Sereno created
two additional TWGs to handle the processing of the petitions for survivorship
benefits.
Marquez
clarified that he is appearing before the committee not to testify for or
against anyone but simply “to tell the truth.”
Before
the creation of the committee and the TWGs, Marquez said the applications for
such benefits were coursed through the OCA, which evaluates compliance with
documentary requirements and then forwards it to the court en banc for its
decision.
Previous
to this, Marquez said that the court had approved 271 petitions for benefits of
surviving spouses of judges and justices.
However,
Marquez said that on November 2, 2016 he found out that there were many pending
applications for such benefits after a distant relative sought his help to
follow up a claim of a surviving spouse of a deceased member of the bench.
After
inquiry, Marquez said he documented 29 claims for such benefits pending before
the TWGs. He said he brought it to the attention of Sereno in a letter dated
January 12, 2017 but he did not receive any reply.
Marquez
said he looked into the circumstances surrounding the delays in the
survivorship benefits because he believes that the petitioners should “get what
is due them within a reasonable period of time.”
To
illustrate the problem, Marquez noted that some claims remained pending for as
long as two years and 30 days, from the time it was referred to the SC en bank
until Nov. 6, 2017. The claimant in this case is already 85 years old.
Most of
the petitioners in the cases that were stuck in the committee and TWGs are over
80, with the oldest at 94 years old.
But
Marquez said that two weeks after Atty. Lorenzo Gadon held a press conference
on July 29, 2017 regarding his impeachment complaint against Sereno that
included the delay in the release of the benefits, the SC scheduled the
deliberation on the pending cases and the first hearing was held on August 8,
2017.
On
September 19, 2017, the court issued its promulgation approving 12 petitions
for survivorship benefits.
Meanwhile,
Atty. Gadon refuted the claim of SC spokesperson Theodore Te that the delayed
benefits can be given to the surviving family members of the deceased member of
the bench.
“The law
clearly intended the benefits for the surviving spouse. It is not intended as
an inheritance,” Gadon said.
According
to Marquez, the surviving spouse of a deceased magistrate stands to get the
same amount of retirement benefits the retired judge or justice was receiving
when the latter was still alive.
In
connection with this, Marquez requested for security reasons that the committee
to keep confidential the names of the surviving spouse of deceased judges who
have already received their claims for such benefit.
UTANG SA GSIS NG MGA MAGRERETIRONG GURO PATAWARIN
NA – REP. SALO
[23,000
na teacher-retirees, di nakatanggap ng pension dahil sa di nabayarang utang]
Inihain
ni KABAYAN Party-list Congressman Ron Salo ang House Resolution 1508 na
layuning himukin ang Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) na patawarin na
ang natitirang utang ng mga kareretiro palang at mga magreretirong guro.
Layunin din ng resolusyon na patawarin pati na ang loan penalties ng lahat ng
pampublikong guro.
"Certainly,
the waived penalties may be miniscule in amounts, but this will certainly
hasten the payment by our public-school teachers of their loans, and will go a
long way in alleviating the financial burden that they are currently
facing," sabi ni Salo sa isang pahayag.
Sa HR
1508 ni Salo, ipinawagan niya sa GSIS na magpatupad ng tinatawag na “debt
forgiveness or condonation” para sa mga kareretiro palang at mga magreretirong
guro mula 2017 hanggang 2022 kabilang na ang mga guro na namatay bago ang
takdang petsa ng kanilang pagreretiro para naman mapakinabangan ng kanilang
pamilya ang pension mula sa GSIS.
Nakasaad
din sa resolusyon ni Salo ang panawagan sa DepEd at Department of Finance na
magsagawa ng malawakang financial literacy training para maturuan ang mga guro
na nang tamang paggasta at pananalapi na makaktulong sa kanila para mapabuti
ang kanilang pamumuhay.
Matatandaan
na naglabas na ng kautusan ang Department of Education (DepEd Order No. 38)
nitong Hulyo 31, 2017 na nagpapahintulot sa GSIS at Pag-IBIG Fund na bawasan
ang sahod ng mga guro nang walang “cap” na naging sanhi kung bakit maraming
guro ang nakatanggap ng take-home pay na mas mababa sa P4,000.
"However,
the DepEd order was questioned by this representation as well as by some
teacher groups, and this led to the issuance of DepEd Order No. 55 (dated
October 26, 2017). The new DepEd order will prioritize deductions from GSIS and
Pag-IBIG Fund loans without affecting teachers' mandated net take home
pay," giit ni Salo na isa sa mga lider ng Kamara bilang Assistant Majority
Leader.
Ayon sa
batas (Section 47 of the General Appropriations Act of 2017) ang mga kawani ng
gobyerno ay dapat may minimum take-home pay na P4,000.
Pinunto
ni Salo na ang kabuuang utang ng mga guro na aabot sa ng humigit-kumulang
P19,000 ay di pa rin sapat dahil sa mga di inaasahang mga pangyayari at pagtaas
ng mga bilihin.
"Our
teachers are saddled by extensive deductions for contributions and obligations
as they are forced to fall victim and borrow money from lenders that entrap
them in a vicious cycle of indebtedness," ani Salo.
Ayon sa
tala ng DepEd, umaabot sa P178 bilyon ang utang mga public school teacher sa
mga pribadong lending companies. Sa GSIS naman, aabot ang utang ng mga guro sa
P123 bilyon.
Sa tala
rin ng DepEd, aabot sa humigit-kumulang 23,000 na teacher-retirees ang di
nakatanggap ng pension ngayong taon sanhi ng di nabayarang utang.
WARNING TO GADON, FELLOW MEMBERS--Justice Committee Chair
Reynaldo V. Umali warned lawyer Lorenzo Gadon and fellow House Members to
refrain from making unfounded remarks which would “cast aspersions” on the
institution. On the fifth day of
determining probable cause in the verified complaint for impeachment against
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, the deliberation focused on the delays in
benefits due to surviving spouses of deceased judges and justices. Among those
who threw probing questions on resource persons from the Supreme Court headed
by Administrator Jose Midas Marquez were Deputy Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia,
Deputy Majority Leader Juan Pablo Bondoc, committee vice chairpersons Reps.
Vicente Veloso, Doy Leachon, Henry Oaminal and Strike Revilla, and Reps. Romeo
Acop, Rose Marie Arenas, Salvador Belaro, Jr., Jose Cristopher Belmonte,
Anthony Bravo, Vincent Crisologo, Eugene Michael De Vera, Arthur Defensor, Jr.,
Alfredo Garbin, Jr., Ruwel Peter Gonzaga, Ann Hofer, Rodante Marcoleta, Makmod
Mending, Jr., Victoria Isabel Noel, Ramon Rocamora, Federico Sandoval II,
Carlos Roman Uybarreta and Noel Villanueva.
News Release
06 December 2017
House leaders disappointed over PNP Chief’s absence
in STL hearing
House
leaders today expressed disappointment over the failure of the Philippine
National Police chief Director-General Ronald dela Rosa to send his
representative to a joint hearing on the alleged involvement of some PNP
members in illegal gaming operations in the country.
According
to Reps. Gus Tambunting (2nd Distrct Paranaque City), chairman of the committee
on games and amusements, and Rep. Romeo Acop (2nd District, Antipolo City),
chairman of the committee on public order and safety, the PNP apparently is not
taking the House invitation seriously.
“In the
next hearing of these two committees, if ever the PNP Chief will be invited again, the
invitation will be strongly-worded. I think the PNP is not taking our
invitation seriously because of the attendance of the deputies, not the
bosses,” Acop said.
At the
start of the hearing, Acop asked the resource persons from the PNP who was the
representative of Dela Rosa.
“Bina-baliwala
ninyo yata ang imbitasyon ng Congress. I ask you now, who is going to represent
the chief PNP because he was invited by the committee secretariat?,”said Acop.
Police
Chief Superintendent Fausto Manzanilla Jr.,
Deputy Director of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management
(DIDM), said no one among them was representing Dela Rosa. “None, sir,”
Manzanilla replied.
The other
police officers present in the hearing were Chief Superintendent Edmond
Gonzales, Deputy Director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group
(CIDG), and Police Legal Officer Superintendent Aris Pestaño.
Newspaper
reports quoting Solicitor General Jose Calida cited that Dela Rosa is in New
York for an anti-terrorism conference.
Tambunting,
before calling for the adjournment of the hearing, said the joint inquiry was
intended to allow the PNP to shed light on the Revised 2016 Implementing Rules
and Regulations of the STL operations of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes
Office (PSCO), which were formulated to expand the STL operations nationwide.
Moreover,
the hearing aims to address the growing concerns on raising revenues and
creating employment, and ensure that taxes due the government are paid. The
hearing would also help in the formulation of anti-illegal gambling and
anti-corruption measures, said Tambunting.
“We want to be assured that the objectives of
the Revised STL IRR are achieved. Hence, our interest in the illegal gambling
games operations,’” said Tambunting.
Tambunting
said the two committees wanted to get an update from the PNP on the illegal
numbers game operations, especially with the market expansion program of the
STL, as the PNP is the government agency tasked to curb illegal gaming.
“This
meeting was basically called just for a briefing on the issue of STL because
the PCSO always has been stating that the reason why they are having a
difficult time in raising revenues is because of the not so cooperative PNP
personnel on the ground,” said Tambunting.
Acop said
his committee had been conducting an inquiry into the manifest breakdown of
discipline in the PNP in light of recent high-profile criminal incidents
allegedly involving officers and members of the organization.
Acop said
last September 19, 2017 during the continuation of the committee’s inquiry, one
of the issues raised was the involvement of police personnel in illegal
gambling and illegal numbers games such as jueteng. To clarify the matter, he
said the committee requested the PNP to submit an intelligence report on the
STL operations.
“The PCSO
General Manager has been quoted as saying that the performance of the PNP in
its anti-illegal gambling operations is dismal. The PNP Chief has disputed such
allegation,” said Acop.
Acop said
that the committees were expecting that a briefing by the PNP would provide
ample information on the STL operations and the PNP’s anti-illegal gambling
campaign.
News Release
06 December 2017
Witness plea to CJ to hasten pension process
ignored
The House
committee on justice chaired by Rep. Reynaldo Umali (2nd District, Oriental
Mindoro) on Tuesday heard the testimony of Court Administrator Jose Midas
Marquez who shared that his January 2017 letter to Chief Justice Maria Lourdes
Sereno urging the Supreme Court (SC) en banc to make a definitive ruling on 29
survivorship pension applications that have been pending for over two years
went unanswered.
Marquez
stood as witness for the committee, which discussed one of the allegations by
Atty. Lorenzo Gadon that says Sereno is at the root of delayed action on the
numerous petitions for retirement and survivorship benefits of justices and
judges and their spouses. Gadon alleged that the technical working group
created by Sereno, established through SC Memorandum Order 43-2015, caused the
delay.
The
committee is determining whether Gadon's impeachment complaint has probable
cause.
Marquez
revealed that applications for retirement and survivorship benefits filed in
the beginning of October 2015 were held in abeyance. No application was acted
upon from October 2015 until 6 November 2017—a period of over two years.
Following
requests in late 2016 to expedite the application process, Marquez penned a
letter to Sereno in January 2017, urging the Chief Justice and the Court en
banc to take more immediate action and make a definitive ruling.
“Considering
it has been more than a year since the Court’s last action on the pending
applications for survivorship pension, and since majority of the surviving
spouses are already beyond 80 years old, there’s a compelling need to expedite
action on these 29 applications,” Marquez said in his letter. He went on to
state that the surviving spouses are also not in perfect health and may no
longer be able to avail themselves of the survivorship benefits.
Marquez
said his letter went unanswered.
He further
said that on August 8, 2017, a week following Gadon’s press conference on July
29, 2017 in which Gadon stated that one of the articles of impeachment was the
delay in the retirement and survivorship benefits, the Court en banc first
heard the issue.
“It was first included in the agenda of the
Court en banc on August 8, and then nag-deliberation ulit sila noong August 22,
at tapos nagdeliberation noong August 29. And finally, in just a month,
nakapaglabas ang Court en banc ng decision,” Marquez said.
The decision of the Court en banc was
promulgated on September 19, 2017. The Court ruled that the benefits of RA 9946
extended to the surviving spouses of magistrates who died before February 11,
2010.
“Thus,
there is no question that the benefits under R.A. No. 9946 extend to those who
died before February 11, 2010. This
would include the survivorship benefits in favor of surviving spouses of such
deceased justices and judges. The Court
sees no compelling reason at this point to revisit this ruling,” the Court en
banc’s decision read.
Of the 29
applications pending for over two years, 12 were subsequently approved by the
Court.
According
to Marquez, RA 910, as amended in 2010 by RA 9946, mandates that the surviving
legitimate spouse of a deceased justice or judge will receive the judge or
justice’s retirement benefits. A retroactivity clause also provided that the
benefits will also be granted to those who have retired before the passage of
the Act. In 271 instances, the SC further provided that the surviving spouse
will receive benefits not starting from the date of the deceased magistrate’s
death, but from the date the law took effect on 11 February 2010.
However,
Marquez said there were those in the SC who argued that spouses of magistrates who passed away
before 2010 should not receive benefits as provided by RA 9946.
This
conflicting view led to the establishment of the Special Committee on
Retirement and Civil Service Benefits. Under the committee, two TWGs were
created. Marquez furnished documents showing the creation and approval by
Sereno on December 22, 2015 of the first TWG, which focused on screening
applications. The second TWG was the
legal TWG. Asked on who created the legal TWG, Marquez said “malamang po si CJ
Sereno din po,” though Marquez said he did not have similar paperwork for the
second TWG.
Before
the creation of the committee and the TWGs, the process only necessitated that
the surviving spouse who wanted to receive benefits to file an application with
the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA). The application would then be
reviewed by a dedicated office in the OCA. Once the requirements submitted by
the surviving spouse were complete, the OCA would recommend to the SC en banc
whether to grant or deny the application. As evidenced by past cases involving
optional retirement, disability retirement, death during service and pension in
compulsory retirement, Marquez showed that the referral to Court en banc until
date of approval usually lasted two to three weeks.
The
process changed following the creation of the special committee. After the
Office of Clerk En Banc received the recommendation of OCA, the special
committee would then review the applications they were passed to the Court en
banc.
“Dahil
nagtatag ng isang committee at dalawang TWGs under that committee, ano pong
nangyari? All applications received by
the Office of the Clerk of Court En Banc beginning October 2015 were held in
abeyance,” Marquez explained.
PRESS STATEMENT: OFFICE OF REP. ROBERT ACE S.
BARBERS
06 December 2017
Contact: Mervin 0917 574 0866
Abby 0917 800 3642
BARBERS WELCOMES PNP’S RETURN IN THE DRUG WAR
Surigao
del Norte Representative Robert Ace Barbers today welcomed the Philippine
National Police’s (PNP) return in the war against illegal drugs, with the Philippine
Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) still the lead enforcer.
“I
support the President’s move because it will augment the workforce that will
implement the anti-drug war. The PDEA lacks manpower and that is a fact that
has been emerging constantly in our Committee hearings,” said Barbers, Chairman
of the Committee on Dangerous Drugs.
“I
believe that the PDEA has been doing a good job but our country’s drug problem
is too vast for the PDEA to handle alone,” he added.
Barbers
also said that by bringing in the PNP to the war on drugs once again, the
Congress can do away with the tedious process of transferring the P900m PNP
‘Double Barrel’ fund to the PDEA.
In
October, after President Duterte declared PDEA as the ‘sole’ agency in the drug
war, Barbers requested from the Committee on Appropriations that the P900m
budget intended for Oplan Double Barrel of the PNP, be transferred and
allocated instead to the 2018 operating budget of the PDEA.
Press Release
Office of Rep. Gary Alejano
Magdalo Party-List
Dec 6, 2017
MAGDALO EYES REGULATING PH ONLINE GAMBLING
On
Wednesday, December 6, the Committee on Games and Amusements deliberated on HB
5187 or the 'Internet Gambling Regulatory Act of 2017'.
Introduced
by Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, the bill seeks to govern online gaming in the
Philippines by creating a regulatory Board which shall promulgate and adopt
rules, as well as impose penalties for their violation. Likewise, the proposed
measure prohibits minors from engaging in internet gambling and penalizes
entities who knowingly allow a person under 18 years old to open, maintain or
use an internet gambling account.
Alejano
believes that it is the policy of the State to protect its citizens, especially
minors, from the harmful effects of gambling. Towards this end, the State
should adapt to the new types of gambling introduced by rapid advancements in
technology.
“At
present, there are no laws that regulate internet gambling in the country. With
the passage of this bill, we would be able to provide protection to our
citizens, specifically our minors, from the harmful effects of gambling.
Additionally, regulating these acts could generate billions in revenue for
government projects and services annually”, Alejano said.
The said
measure is set to be deliberated further with the attendance of other relevant
agencies.
News Release
07 December 2017
House Justice members grill Clerk of Court on Maute
Officials
of the Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared as resource persons before the House
of Representatives committee on justice as it continued its deliberation on the
determination of probable cause on the impeachment complaint filed against
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
Present
at the hearing were Jose Midas Marquez, Court Administrator, Supreme Court; Felipa
Anama, Clerk of Court; Anna-Li Papa-Gombio, Deputy Clerk of Court and
Chairperson, Special Committee on Retirement and Civil Service Benefits;
Jocelyn Fabian, Chairperson, Technical Working Group, Special Committee on
Retirement and Civil Service Benefits; and Charlotte Labayani, Chief Judicial
Officer, Employees’ Welfare and Benefits Division, Office of Administrative
Services, Office of the Court Administrator.
Rep.
Reynaldo Umali (2nd District, Oriental Mindoro), justice committee chairman,
revealed that Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Martires conveyed his
willingness to testify in the next hearings once he secured authorization from
the Supreme Court en banc.
Umali
appealed to panel members to refrain from asking opinions or conclusions of
law, but instead focus on the allegations and claims as stated in the pleadings
submitted to the committee.
Members
of the justice panel committee took turns in questioning SC Clerk of Court
Felipa Anama on the supposed delay in the issuance of resolution on the
petition of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to transfer the Maute case
outside Mindanao.
As the
Clerk of Court, Anama serves as the secretary of the Raffle Committee of the
Supreme Court and is responsible for the recording of the raffle proceedings
and submitting the minutes to the Chief Justice.
When
asked by Rep. Ruwel Peter Gonzaga (2nd District, Compostela Valley) if the
Maute case was raffled among the Supreme Court justices, Anama replied that it
was raffled.
However,
during intense questioning by Rep. Rodante Marcoleta (Party-list, SAGIP), Anama
admitted that the case was not raffled and it was Chief Justice Sereno who took
cognizance of the case as the Court was not convened considering the urgency of
the petition.
Marcoleta
pointed out that Anama’s term as Clerk of Court had been extended by the Chief
Justice.
Rep.
Henry Oaminal (2nd District, Misamis Occidental), vice chairman of the House
committee on justice, saying the
confidentiality rule being consistently invoked by Anama, raised the issue of
which prevails in a situation where there is a conflict between the rules
governing administrative matters of the Supreme Court or the rules of the
impeachment committee.
He
pointed out that a consensus reached in the previous hearings was that resource
persons could only invoke confidentiality if the issue involves national
security.
Rep.
Vicente Veloso (3rd District, Leyte), vice chairman of the justice panel and
former Court of Appeals justice, stressed that if the case or petition had
already been resolved, as in the resolution involving the Maute case, Anama
could no longer cite the confidentiality rule.
Deputy
Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia (3rd District, Cebu) lamented that Anama kept on
insisting the confidentiality rule when the said rule covers only cases which
are still being heard.
Garcia
underscored that the issue was not even an administrative case but only an
administrative matter.
Umali
told Anama and the other resource persons that confidentiality rule could only
be invoked on Bar matters, administrative cases, and criminal cases where the
penalty imposed is life imprisonment.
Umali
appealed to the resource persons, witnesses, and even the respondent to provide
the justice committee with the necessary information and stressed that the
impeachment proceeding is all about exacting accountability on any erring
impeachable official.
House
justice committee members chided Anama for being evasive and urged her to be
more cooperative as the impeachment committee is doing its best to ferret out
the truth.
News Release
07 December 2017
House to review bill expediting registration of
imported vehicles
The House
committee on transportation chaired by Rep. Cesar Sarmiento (Lone District,
Catanduanes) on Wednesday approved the creation of a technical working group
(TWG) that would fine-tune a bill seeking to expedite the registration of
imported motor vehicles.
House
Bill 6455, principally authored by House Speaker Pantaleon Alavarez and
Sarmiento, mandates the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to speed up its
process of registration of imported automobiles. The committee has referred the
bill to a TWG in which stakeholders and resource persons from the industry will
be enjoined to share their insight on the matter.
The
measure mandates the LTO to issue the certificate of registration of imported
motor vehicles within 48 hours from the date of submission of requirements. It
also mandates the LTO to coordinate with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for the
electronic transmission and access of accurate and timely certificate of
payment on taxes, customs duties, and other importation documents necessary
pursuant to Executive Order No. 482, s. 2015.
The EO
launched the National Single Window (NSW), a computerized Internet-based system
that allows parties involved in trade to lodge information and documents with a
single entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit-related regulatory
requirements. The NSW system thereby streamlines the registration process and
cuts down the turnaround time.
Currently,
the presence of bureaucratic red tape in the agency frustrates clients for
requiring them to go through long series of routinary procedures to secure
vital government services such as certificates of registration for imported
vehicles. This problem is further compounded by the tedious process of
obtaining from the BOC, proof of payment of taxes, customs duties or other
charges necessary for the issuance of the certificate of registration for
imported vehicles, according to the Speaker and Sarmiento.
Moreover,
it has become imperative for the government to remove red tape by taking advantage of technological
advances to improve efficiency in the delivery of services and streamlining the
process of obtaining common official documents, according to the authors.
“The
present situation would definitely [be] described as a wide area of corruption
because some government personnel will find it very difficult to issue the
certificate of payment or probably give [the clients] the run-around. And for
them to get the necessary document, people would be forced to come across,”
said Sarmiento.
Alvarez
cited that one of the reasons for delay is the LTO’s requirement that each
branch of a car dealership must be accredited. He also noted that for over a
year, the LTO has been unable to release the license plates of numerous
vehicles.
The
Speker went on to express his disappointment with the sluggish processes of the
LTO, saying that LTO officials should strike down old laws that burden
citizens. He underscored the importance of eliminating redundancy in
registration processes, such as in the cases of brand-new motorcars that
already come with certifications from the manufacturer.
“Bakit
pahihirapan [at] magtatagal ang registration ng brand-new vehicles? Unang-una,
imported vehicles—halimbawa, bakit dumadaan pa sa PNP (Philippine National
Police) Highway Patrol, DENR (Department of Energy and Natural Resources)?”
Alvarez asked.
The
committee thereby decided to refer the measure to a TWG for further review,
enjoining the input of resource persons.
Meanwhile,
the committee also approved two bills seeking to increase the accessibility to
LTO and its services through the establishment of new offices. HB 5076 by Rep.
Florida Robes (Lone District, San Jose Del Monte City) will establish a
satellite LTO office in San Jose Del Monte City, and HB 5111 by Rep. Isidro
Rodriguez Jr. (2nd District, Rizal) mandates the creation of a permanent LTO
district office in the municipality of Morong in Rizal.
Officials
from LTO present at the committee hearing expressed the agency’s support for
the passage of the two bills and voiced no objections.
Sarmiento
further stated that the LTO has created a directory of areas where district
offices will be established, and has identified other places where an LTO
office is necessary. The move will aid the committee in deliberations as it
will eliminate having to discuss piecemeal each proposal for an LTO office
creation.
“What we
did was inform the district representatives concerned and we will go into that,
as part of the service of this committee, by filing an omnibus bill calling for
the establishment of district offices in the main areas,” Sarmiento said.
News Release
07 December 2017
House to review bill expediting registration of
imported vehicles
The House
committee on transportation chaired by Rep. Cesar Sarmiento (Lone District,
Catanduanes) on Wednesday approved the creation of a technical working group
(TWG) that would fine-tune a bill seeking to expedite the registration of
imported motor vehicles.
House
Bill 6455, principally authored by House Speaker Pantaleon Alavarez and
Sarmiento, mandates the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to speed up its
process of registration of imported automobiles. The committee has referred the
bill to a TWG in which stakeholders and resource persons from the industry will
be enjoined to share their insight on the matter.
The
measure mandates the LTO to issue the certificate of registration of imported
motor vehicles within 48 hours from the date of submission of requirements. It
also mandates the LTO to coordinate with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for the
electronic transmission and access of accurate and timely certificate of
payment on taxes, customs duties, and other importation documents necessary
pursuant to Executive Order No. 482, s. 2015.
The EO
launched the National Single Window (NSW), a computerized Internet-based system
that allows parties involved in trade to lodge information and documents with a
single entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit-related regulatory
requirements. The NSW system thereby streamlines the registration process and
cuts down the turnaround time.
Currently,
the presence of bureaucratic red tape in the agency frustrates clients for
requiring them to go through long series of routinary procedures to secure
vital government services such as certificates of registration for imported
vehicles. This problem is further compounded by the tedious process of
obtaining from the BOC, proof of payment of taxes, customs duties or other
charges necessary for the issuance of the certificate of registration for
imported vehicles, according to the Speaker and Sarmiento.
Moreover,
it has become imperative for the government to remove red tape by taking advantage of technological
advances to improve efficiency in the delivery of services and streamlining the
process of obtaining common official documents, according to the authors.
“The
present situation would definitely [be] described as a wide area of corruption
because some government personnel will find it very difficult to issue the
certificate of payment or probably give [the clients] the run-around. And for
them to get the necessary document, people would be forced to come across,”
said Sarmiento.
Alvarez
cited that one of the reasons for delay is the LTO’s requirement that each
branch of a car dealership must be accredited. He also noted that for over a
year, the LTO has been unable to release the license plates of numerous
vehicles.
The
Speker went on to express his disappointment with the sluggish processes of the
LTO, saying that LTO officials should strike
down old laws that burden citizens. He underscored the importance of
eliminating redundancy in registration processes, such as in the cases of
brand-new motorcars that already come with certifications from the
manufacturer.
“Bakit
pahihirapan [at] magtatagal ang registration ng brand-new vehicles? Unang-una,
imported vehicles—halimbawa, bakit dumadaan pa sa PNP (Philippine National
Police) Highway Patrol, DENR (Department of Energy and Natural Resources)?”
Alvarez asked.
The
committee thereby decided to refer the measure to a TWG for further review,
enjoining the input of resource persons.
Meanwhile,
the committee also approved two bills seeking to increase the accessibility to
LTO and its services through the establishment of new offices. HB 5076 by Rep.
Florida Robes (Lone District, San Jose Del Monte City) will establish a
satellite LTO office in San Jose Del Monte City, and HB 5111 by Rep. Isidro
Rodriguez Jr. (2nd District, Rizal) mandates the creation of a permanent LTO
district office in the municipality of Morong in Rizal.
Officials
from LTO present at the committee hearing expressed the agency’s support for
the passage of the two bills and voiced no objections.
Sarmiento
further stated that the LTO has created a directory of areas where district
offices will be established, and has identified other places where an LTO
office is necessary. The move will aid the committee in deliberations as it
will eliminate having to discuss piecemeal each proposal for an LTO office
creation.
“What we
did was inform the district representatives concerned and we will go into that,
as part of the service of this committee, by filing an omnibus bill calling for
the establishment of district offices in the main areas,” Sarmiento said.
News Release
07 December 2017
House Justice members grill Clerk of Court on Maute
Officials
of the Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared as resource persons before the House
of Representatives committee on justice as it continued its deliberation on the
determination of probable cause on the impeachment complaint filed against
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
Present
at the hearing were Jose Midas Marquez, Court Administrator, Supreme Court; Felipa
Anama, Clerk of Court; Anna-Li Papa-Gombio, Deputy Clerk of Court and
Chairperson, Special Committee on Retirement and Civil Service Benefits;
Jocelyn Fabian, Chairperson, Technical Working Group, Special Committee on
Retirement and Civil Service Benefits; and Charlotte Labayani, Chief Judicial
Officer, Employees’ Welfare and Benefits Division, Office of Administrative
Services, Office of the Court Administrator.
Rep.
Reynaldo Umali (2nd District, Oriental Mindoro), justice committee chairman,
revealed that Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Martires conveyed his
willingness to testify in the next hearings once he secured authorization from
the Supreme Court en banc.
Umali
appealed to panel members to refrain from asking opinions or conclusions of
law, but instead focus on the allegations and claims as stated in the pleadings
submitted to the committee.
Members
of the justice panel committee took turns in questioning SC Clerk of Court
Felipa Anama on the supposed delay in the issuance of resolution on the
petition of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to transfer the Maute case
outside Mindanao.
As the
Clerk of Court, Anama serves as the secretary of the Raffle Committee of the
Supreme Court and is responsible for the recording of the raffle proceedings
and submitting the minutes to the Chief Justice.
When
asked by Rep. Ruwel Peter Gonzaga (2nd District, Compostela Valley) if the
Maute case was raffled among the Supreme Court justices, Anama replied that it
was raffled.
However,
during intense questioning by Rep. Rodante Marcoleta (Party-list, SAGIP), Anama
admitted that the case was not raffled and it was Chief Justice Sereno who took
cognizance of the case as the Court was not convened considering the urgency of
the petition.
Marcoleta
pointed out that Anama’s term as Clerk of Court had been extended by the Chief
Justice.
Rep. Henry
Oaminal (2nd District, Misamis Occidental), vice chairman of the House
committee on justice, saying the
confidentiality rule being consistently invoked by Anama, raised the issue of
which prevails in a situation where there is a conflict between the rules
governing administrative matters of the Supreme Court or the rules of the
impeachment committee.
He
pointed out that a consensus reached in the previous hearings was that resource
persons could only invoke confidentiality if the issue involves national
security.
Rep.
Vicente Veloso (3rd District, Leyte), vice chairman of the justice panel and
former Court of Appeals justice, stressed that if the case or petition had
already been resolved, as in the resolution involving the Maute case, Anama
could no longer cite the confidentiality rule.
Deputy
Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia (3rd District, Cebu) lamented that Anama kept on
insisting the confidentiality rule when the said rule covers only cases which
are still being heard.
Garcia
underscored that the issue was not even an administrative case but only an
administrative matter.
Umali
told Anama and the other resource persons that confidentiality rule could only
be invoked on Bar matters, administrative cases, and criminal cases where the
penalty imposed is life imprisonment.
Umali
appealed to the resource persons, witnesses, and even the respondent to provide
the justice committee with the necessary information and stressed that the
impeachment proceeding is all about exacting accountability on any erring
impeachable official.
House
justice committee members chided Anama for being evasive and urged her to be
more cooperative as the impeachment committee is doing its best to ferret out
the truth.
News Release
07 December 2017
NO to anti-consumer coal tax in TRAIN: Alvarez
Taking
the cudgels for consumers, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez today said the House of
Representatives would not allow the inclusion of the coal tax in the Tax Reform
for Acceleration and Inclusion as it would surely increase the price of
electricity.
The coal
tax is among the contentious issues in the deliberation of the bicameral conference
committee on the contentious provisions of the respective versions of the House
of Representatives and the Senate of the TRAIN.
“Hindi po
namin papayagan yan; definitely hindi,” said Alvarez in a radio interview when
asked for the stand of the House of Representatives on the controversial coal
tax.
The
Senate approved a 3,000-percent increase in coal taxes to be collected in three
tranches until 2020, which means the current P10 excise tax will be raised to
P100 in 2018, P200 in 2019 and P300 by 2020. No such tax is included in the
House version of the TRAIN.
“Let us
look at this objectively from the point of view of the consumers. Dahil pagka
halimbawa pinatawan mo ng additional taxes itong coal powered plants, yung
industry players maaaring hindi magre-reklamo yan kasi ipa-pass on lang yan
doon sa consumers,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez
said it would not take a rocket scientist to know that electricity prices would
go up if Congress agrees to impose the new tax on coal and that this would
create a ripple effect of price increase in goods and services.
“Ang
tinitingnan natin dito yung kapakanan ng consumers. Kasi mataas na ang kuryente
natin, tayo ang isa sa mga pinakamataas sa Asia. Ngayon ang layunin nga natin
dito paano natin pababain. Eh eto dadagdagan mo na naman ng buwis yan eh di
tataas yan,” he said.
He said
that for the past several months he and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi held
several meetings to discuss various ways of lowering power rates.
In
connection with such objective, the
House recently approved on third and final reading House Bill 1616, exempting
the system loss charge component in the sale of electricity by distribution
companies and electric cooperatives from the coverage of the value added tax
(VAT).
System
loss is the part of one’s electric bill representing the cost of electricity
lost during transmission, pilferage, and due to technical and administrative
inefficiency, which is passed on to the consumers. Under existing laws it is
also subject to VAT, which further drives electricity bills up.
“Tapos
eto ngayon maglalabas tayo ng measure kung saan lalo pang tumaas,” Alvarez
said.
Apart
from the expected hike in electricity rates, the coal tax would also hinder the
growth of the country’s manufacturing sector.
Alvarez
also stressed that the Senate insertion of the tax coal tax in the TRAIN runs
counter to the constitutional mandate that all revenue measures must originate
exclusively from the House of Representatives.
“Malinaw
na malinaw na ibinigay ito ng ating Saligang Batas. At ang Senado nakalagay
lang doon ‘may propose amendments or concur’ di ba? They can propose amendments
kung papayag kami,” Alvarez explained.
SALVADOR B. BELARO, JR.
1-Ang Edukasyon Party-list
REP. BELARO DEFENDS BEVERAGE TAX AS PRO-HEALTH,
PRO-POOR
[Assistant
Majority Leader Salvador B. Belaro, Jr. is the principal author of House Bill
4039 or “The Healthy Drinks in Public Schools Act” and House Bill 1438 or “The
School Nutrition Act.”]
1-Ang
Edukasyon Party-list has long campaigned for better nutrition for Filipinos
especially students and the youth. The proposed beverage tax in the TRAIN tax
reform bill and the various school nutrition bills I filed are proof of this
focus on nutrition.
We have
been seeing in advertising media the well-funded campaign against the beverage
tax. I would also not be surprised if we suddenly see some well-organized
protests against the beverage tax.
Let us
not be deceived by their campaign.
Congress
included the beverage tax in the TRAIN bill because, among other reasons, our
country has widespread illnesses linked to high sugar consumption, including
diabetes, cardiovascular vascular diseases, dental caries, and obesity.
The DepEd
has precisely banned soft drinks from school canteens and laid down strict policies
on school nutrition to spare school children from health risks brought by high
sugar consumption.
We filed
our bills on school nutrition because we want our children to be healthy.
By making
sweetened beverages more expensive, we are discouraging consumers, the Filipino
families, from high sugar consumption and making them choose healthier, less
sweet or unsweetened lifestyle options.
We want a
healthy citizenry because healthy citizens make for a healthy, productive,
economically prosperous, and socially-progressive nation.
The
sari-sari stores will not sell items their customers cannot afford. They will
switch to selling other products. Sari-sari store owners know their customers
well. Filipino consumers have many other daily necessities like soap, shampoo,
toothpaste, and deodorant. Some of the soft drinks bottlers have now been
producing bottled water, tea, and coconut juice because they have learned that
more Filipinos have been switching to unsweetened or less sweet beverages.
Whoever
is behind the ongoing campaign against the beverage tax, do not use the
sari-sari store owners to create the impression that the beverage tax is
anti-poor.
The fact
and reality is the beverage tax is pro-poor because it will promote better
health for Filipinos and will fund social services of the government.
News Release
07 December 2017
Alvarez says DU30 has up to 2022 to solve drug
problem; one year deadline not absolute
Speaker
Pantaleon Alvarez today said President Rodrigo Duterte should be given more
time than the one-year deadline he asked to solve the country’s drug problem.
In a
television interview, Alvarez said that while President Duterte asked the
Filipino people to give him one more year to address the drug menace it should
not be taken as a hard and fast deadline.
“In fact,
he has until 2022 to do it, hindi lang basta bigyan lang siya ng isang taon.
Hanggang 2022 naman yung kanyang termino, hindi ba?” Alvarez said.
Alvarez
said that it is good that the President has given himself a one-year deadline
to address the country’s drug problem because it means he would focus his
efforts on achieving this goal.
“Mabuti
na iyan, nagbibigay siya ng deadline, hindi ba kaysa naman wala talaga siyang
ginagawa. At least ito, kung halimbawa matapos niya in one year, eh di maraming
salamat. Pag hindi, ay hanggang 2022 pa yung termino niya,” Alvarez said.
Likewise
Alvarez backed President Duterte’s decision to bring the Philippine National
Police back into the campaign against illegal drugs.
“Sa akin,
as long as we solve the drug problem, walang problema,” Alvarez said.
He noted
that under the President’s order the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency retains
the lead role in the fight against illegal drugs, with the PNP in a supporting
role.
Alvarez
said he leaves it up to the PDEA and the PNP to determine the best way to
address the drug problem in the country.
“Ayokong
makialam sa kanila, kung paano nila gawin iyan dahil trabaho nila iyan. As it is, ang dami na namin ding trabaho para
makialam pa doon sa pamamaraan, kung papaano nila gagawin iyan,” he said.
However,
Alvarez said that as a consequence of the administration’s campaign against
illegal drugs, some of the operations could result to casualties.
“Hindi
ganoon kasimple na basta magpahuli lang iyan or ano. Talagang lumalaban dahil
mga kriminal na itong iba rito. Anong gagawin naman ng ating mga authorities?”
Alvarez said.
In these
cases, Alvarez said the police should be given the benefit of the presumption
of regularity in the performance of their duties. On the other hand, Alvarez
said accusations that a fatality was the result of a summary execution must be
backed by sufficient proof.
Meanwhile,
Alvarez also disputed perceptions that the number of drug users in the country
swelled when President Duterte came into power.
During
the oral arguments in the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the
government’s anti-drug campaign, Associate Justices Antonio Carpio and Marvic
Leonen said that according to PNP data, drug users in the country in 2015 stood
only at 1.5 million but became 4 million in Duterte’s time.
"Mali
yung data na iyan. Siyempre, bago umupo yung Presidente kinokontrol na, kunwari
ganito lang karami. Noong umupo si Presidente kung ano yung aktuwal na figure
na ibinigay, yun talaga yun. Imposible namang overnight ganoon kaagad kalaki
yun,” Alvarez stressed.
News Release
07 december 2017
Alvarez on impeachment proceedings vs Sereno: No
fishing expedition
Speaker
Pantaleon Alvarez today debunked allegations the proceeding of the House
Committee on Justice on the impeachment complaint against Supreme Court Chief
Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno is a fishing expedition.
The lawyers
of Sereno alleged that the hearings of the House Committee on Justice are being
used as a venue to gather evidence against her. At least one solon said the
committee should not act like an impartial investigator and nor like a
detective.
“Walang
fishing expedition dito kasi nag-submit ng mga certified true copies (of
documents),” Alvarez said in a television interview.
As a
result, Alvarez said the committee has to validate the information provided by
the authentic documents submitted to the panel by asking those who have
personal knowledge of the issues, such as Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo
De Castro and Court Administrator Midas Marquez, to appear and testify before
the panel.
“So doon
nag-testify sila under oath, na ito yung nangyari,” Alvarez said.
Personally,
Alvarez said the proceedings have gathered evidence supporting some of the
allegations in the impeachment complaint against Sereno filed by lawyer Lorenzo
Gadon.
“Nakita
naman natin na yung lumalabas na testimonies from the justices themselves, yung
mga employees ng Supreme Court, at yung mga dokumento na dinadala doon sa
Committee on Justice ay talagang nagpapatibay doon sa mga allegations,” Alvarez
said.
Among
others, Alvarez said, the testimony of Justice De Castro supported allegations
that Sereno violated the constitutional design of the Supreme Court as a
collegial body through her unilateral actions that seemed to have disregarded
the rest of the SC justices.
Likewise,
Alvarez noted that Sereno’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth
from 2001 to 2009 are either missing or not filed as required under the law. UP
officials earlier testified that they only have Sereno’s SALN for 2002 while
the Ombudsman said they have no copy of Sereno’s SALN in their record for the
specified period.
However,
Alvarez said it is still “too premature”to say whether Sereno is guilty or not
and that any prejudgement on the matter would pre-empt the findings of the
Committee on Justice.
Meanwhile,
Alvarez warned Sereno that her continuing refusal to attend the proceedings of
the Committee on Justice constitutes culpable violation of the Constitution.
“Kagaya
halimbawa nga noong sinabi ni Justice Tijam, you have that obligation because
when you took your oath of office, sabi mo, you swore to defend and protect the
Constitution and the laws of the Republic of the Philippines,” said Alvarez.
Alvarez
said Sereno cannot justify her non-appearance through allegations that the
committee has already prejudged her.
“Kasi
kung mayroon na kaming pre-judgment doon sa kaso, sana diniretso na lang namin
iyan (sa Senate for trial),” Alvarez said. He noted that the super majority in
the House can muster more than the minimum one-third vote to ensure her trial
in the Senate.
Alvarez
said he has reminded the committee not to rush the proceedings to ensure they
would have enough evidence to prosecute her in case the Committee on Justice
recommends her trial in the Senate, unlike in the previous cases of
impeachment.
“Ang
gusto ko, dito pa lang, tingan natin kung mayroon talaga (evidence),” Alvarez
said.
Unfortunately,
Alvarez said that while the House has given Sereno all the opportunity to
defend herself, she chose not to appear before the committee.
“Now,
kaya siya pinapatawag din doon ay para sagutin yung mga allegations. Kaya lang
hindi siya pumupunta doon, ang ginagawa niya nagpi-presscon siya, yung mga
spokesperson niya ang sumasagot. Hindi naman yun; walang bisa yun. Kasi doon mo
patunayan iyan, doon sa committee hearings,” Alvarez stressed.
News Release
07 December 2017
House to fine-tune bill on school bus safety
The House
committee on transportation chaired by Rep. Cesar Sarmiento (Lone District,
Catanduanes) has approved the creation of a technical working group (TWG) that will finetune a bill seeking to increase
the safety of school buses.
The TWG,
to be chaired by Rep. Carlo Lopez (2nd District, Manila), will finalize House
Bill 757, authored by Rep. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar (Party-list, DIWA), seeking
to professionalize the country’s school bus system and mandate the installation
of security features in school buses.
The bill
provides for significant changes in the proficiency standards or special
licensing of school bus drivers and conductors. It also adds a provision for
emergency exits and equipment on buses.
The bill
qualifies a school bus as a motor vehicle, but not a trailer, designed to carry
10 or more persons. It is used for purposes that include carrying students to
and from public or private school or school-related events on a regular basis.
This excludes transit buses or school-chartered buses.
The
measure mandates that before drivers and conductors are issued a special
license to drive or operate school buses, they must first complete
certification programs to be facilitated by the Department of Transportation
(DOTr). This includes a course on basic first and emergency protocols; a course
on security management; and a course on proper management and child behavior.
Seat
belts for drivers and passengers will also be a required feature of school
buses, and should be installed not later than a year after the bill is enacted
into law.
The bill
also mandates buses to have emergency exit doors other than the regular
ingress/egress door. Emergency equipment such as fire extinguishers, first aid
kits, emergency lights and other safety features should be stored within the
vehicle.
Resource
persons reported to the committee the current state of school bus operations.
Operators began to phase out side-facing seats in favor of front-facing seats
in 2013, and began accepting UV Express vehicles with front-facing seats. Fire
extinguishers and first aid kits are now also stored in the vehicles.
Drivers
are also subjected to the same standards and qualification process as other
public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers. School bus operators now also require
“bus mothers”, an assistant who will help the children carry their bags on and
off the vehicle, according to the resource persons.
Efren de
Luna, president of Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO), voiced
his support for HB 757. He said most
school bus service owners are members of ACTO.
“Makatarungan
lamang po na talagang magkaroon ng special driver's license ang mga driver ng
school bus. At iyong mga requirement po na itinalaga na part ng modernization
ng pagbabago ng klase ng mga school bus, sumasang-ayon po tayo doon,” he said.
During
the hearing, Rep. Batocabe (Party-list, AKO BICOL) questioned how HB 757 can be
harmonized with a bill previously filed that already requires vehicles to have
child seats for children below 12 years old.
“We are
talking about protection of our children. And yet we are only requiring
seatbelts? Kung nire-require nga natin ‘yung private vehicles ng child seat for
12 years and under, ngayon bakit di natin nire-require mag-child seat ang mga
school bus?” he asked.
Aglipay-Villar
acknowledged that the bill currently does not require child seats. She
suggested it would be better if child seats were first approved as a
requirement for all vehicles, so that the same requirement would automatically
be covered to HB 757 as well.
In light
of the need to further deliberate on the measure, the committee ruled to refer
HB 757 to a TWG that will fine-tune it in harmony with other measures.
News Release
07 December 2017
House panel approves bill granting additional
benefits to PWDs
The House
committee on social services chaired by Rep. Sandra Eriguel, M.D. (2ndDistrict,
La Union) has approved a substitute bill granting additional privileges to
persons with disability, such as equal opportunity for employment and providing
them with a P500 monthly stipend to augment their daily subsistence and medical
needs, and free assistive devices and technologies.
The
unnumbered bill substituted House Bills 656, 1584, 1586, 1916, 2396, 4865, 5058
and 6284 authored by Reps. Jerry Trenas, Alfred Vargas III, MIcaela Violago,
Jose Sy-Alvarado, Dennis Laogan, Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, and Tricia Nicol
Velasco-Catera, respectively.
A
technical working group (TWG) headed by Sy-Alvarado drafted the substitute bill
which the committee subsequently approved.
The bill
seeks to amend Section 5 of Republic Act 7277, as amended, otherwise known as
the “Magna Carta for Persons with Disability.” The proposed amendment to
Section 5 which is titled Equal Opportunity for Employment provides that no
person with disability shall be denied access to opportunities for suitable
employment. A qualified employee with disability shall be subject to the same
terms and conditions of employment and share the same compensation, privileges,
benefits, fringe benefits, incentives or allowances as a qualified able-bodied
person.
At least
two percent of all positions in government agencies, offices, or corporations
shall be filled up with qualified PWDs.
Meanwhile,
private corporations shall be mandated to reserve at least one percent of all
positions for PWDs. Those corporations with more than 1,000 employees are
mandated to reserve at least two percent of all positions for PWDs.
The bill
also seeks to amend Section 8 of RA 7277 titled Incentives for Employers so
that to encourage the active participation of the private sector in promoting
the rights of PWDs and ensure gainful employment for qualified PWDs, adequate
incentives shall be provided to private entities which employs PWDs.
Private
entities which employ PWDs who meet the required skills or qualifications, as
apprentices or learners, shall be entitled to an additional deduction from
their gross income equivalent to 25 percent of the total amount paid as
salaries and wages to PWDs.
Likewise,
private firms that employ PWDs as regular employees shall be entitled to an
additional deduction from their gross income equivalent to 50 percent of the
total amount paid as salaries and wages to PWDs.
The
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), through its level of compliance
system, shall issue a certificate of compliance to private entities which
employed PWDs.
If there
is no qualified PWD applicant after 30 days from the mandatory publication
either through print, broadcast, internet or social media by the employer of
its job vacancy reserved for PWDs, the employer may hire a non-PWD applicant
for said positions reserved for PWDs in private entities by securing a prior
approval from the LGU concerned.
The bill
also seeks the amendment of Section 32 of Chapter 8, Title 2 of RA 7277, as
amended, so that PWDs shall be entitled to a P500 monthly stipend to augment
the daily subsistence, medical and other needs of marginalized PWDs, subject to
the review by the Joint Congressional Committees on Appropriations and Social
Services, in consultation with the National Council on Disability Affairs (NDA)
and other concerned agencies.
PWDs who
are recipients of similar financial assistance from the government, including
monetary assistance for senior citizens shall no longer be given the same
monetary stipend.
The bill
also provides for free assistive technology services, including the evaluation
of the needs and the functional capacity of PWDs in the customary environment
or place of employment, as well as selecting, designing, fitting, customizing,
adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing, or replacing assistive technology
device; training or technical assistance for PWDs; and other forms of
assistance such as sign language interpreting and job coaching.
Per the
bill, assistive devices and technologies are those whose primary purpose is to
maintain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence to facilitate
participation and enhance overall well-being by helping prevent impairments and
secondary health conditions. Examples of these are wheelchairs and walkers;
prostheses; hearing aids; aids for the visually impaired; and specialized
computer software, hardware and peripherals that increase mobility, hearing,
vision, or communication capacities.
The bill
also mandates the provision of free assistive devices and technologies
including technical aids, prosthetic and orthotic devices or appliances,
particularly for personal use of PWDs that will restore their social
functioning and participation in economic activities and community affairs, and
such other devices and technologies appropriate to other disabilities. The
beneficiary is a marginalized PWD, as certified by the local health office of
the LGU concerned.
Persons
with disability shall also be exempted from passport processing fees, travel
taxes, terminal fees, other fees and charges levied in airports, ports, or
other terminals by the government, any of its agencies or instrumentalities, or
by government-owned or controlled corporations.
The
substitute bill shall now be referred the committee on appropriations chaired
by Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles (1st District, Davao City) for approval of its
funding provision.
posted by brodkaster43 at
12/07/2017 10:44:00 AM
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