JUNE 10, 2011

NR # 2431C

CONGRESS MUST REMAIN SENSITIVE TO OUR PEOPLES ASPIRATIONS: BELMONTE

Declaring that the fruits of the first regular session of the 15th Congress were unparalleled in the history of Congress, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte vowed that the House of Representatives would remain sensitive to the public pulse and conscious of our peoples aspirations. The hard work of our members has made it possible for us to process at both the committee and plenary levels a total of 1,710 measures in 73 session days, or an average of 23 measures per session day, Belmonte said on adjournment Wednesday. Excluding the 2011 General Appropriations Act, the House will sustain its judicious consideration of the 23 legislative priorities of the President and the long list of House reform initiatives. The President recently signed into law one of 23 PNoy priorities, R.A. 10149 or the GOCC Governance Act of 2011 principally authored by Speaker Belmonte. Shortly, the people should expect the enactment of the Synchronization of the elections and the term of office of the elective officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with those of the National and other Local officials. Likewise, awaiting PNoys signature are: (1) HB 3862/SB 2748 Requiring all Government offices to ensure the release of the retirement benefits of its employees within fifteen days from retirement; (2) HB 4276/SB 2701 Rationalizing the Nightwork Prohibition on women Workers; (3) HB 4169/SB 283 Extending the implementation of the Lifeline Rate, amending for the purpose Sec. 73 of RA No. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA); (4) HJR 14/SJR 9 Resolution extending the life of the Joint Congressional Power Commission, constituted pursuant to Sec. 62 of the EPIRA. When the 2nd regular session resumes in July, following the State of the Nation Address of President Benigno Aquino III, Belmonte assured a more determined House, guaranteeing democratic space for all opposing views on any measure, but never losing sight of our obligation to act on legislation crucial to the fate of our nation. The House leader then enumerated the legislative landscape come the second regular session. The list of priorities include: The Anti-trust Act that promotes competitiveness; The amended Witness Protection Act; The Whistleblowers protection Act; The Universal Healthcare Act; The National Land Use Act; The Land Administration Reform Act; The Government Procurement Reform Act; The Fiscal Incentives Rationalization Act; The Fiscal Responsibility Act; and the Public-Private Partnership in

Infra Development Act. These priority measures of the President are set to be calendared for plenary action as soon as the Second Regular Session begins, Belmonte assured. Belmonte could not but express his gratitude to the six Deputy Speakers for shepherding their respective committee clusters to promptly act on legislative priorities, and for ably sharing in presiding over plenary sessions. He also acknowledged the active role of the Majority Leader Rep. Neptali Gonzales for ably managing the Chambers calendar and the deliberations on the floor as he thanked the Minority Leader Rep. Edcel Lagman - for ensuring that the differences in our advocacy and views do not undermine our principled engagement. Likewise he saluted every member of this Chamber the chairpersons of our committees and their members not only for their cooperation and active participation, but more importantly for raising the level and quality of our legislative debates. And lastly but never the least, the Speaker, lauded the members of the Secretariat led by Sec. Gen. Marilyn Barua-Yap for their perseverance and hard work. As the nation awaits the celebration of its independence, Belmonte pointed out that our independence is a gift from our forebears which, despite tremendous limitations, they acquired by courageously fighting against foreign enslavement. Our accomplishment these past ten months is our fitting gift to our people who more than a century later continue to fight, this time to liberate themselves from poverty, and to secure for their families and the generations to come, a life of dignity and prosperity, (30) dpt/sb