Bills on the go
The House approved on Monday, 12 November, the proposed P1.227 trillion budget for 2008 by a vote of 174-9.
HB 2454 (General Appropriations Act of 2008) was approved on second reading in a marathon session that started last 6 November. It was eventually passed on 7 November by a vote of 200 members after two weeks of budget hearings. The session began in tension following the debate on the disposal of an impeachment complaint filed against President Arroyo. Speaker de Venecia inhibited himself from the process citing conflict of interest.
The budget bill will be transmitted to the Senate, which started their own budget deliberation simultaneous with the House. The Senate on the other hand is expected to approve the budget before Congress adjourns for the Christmas break on 21 December. The proposed bill seeks to achieve a balanced budget two years ahead of the projection of the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan in 2010.
Meanwhile, HB 2844 (Affordable Quality Medicines) remained pending on second reading. The House version is still in the period of sponsorship, while its Senate counterpart was approved on third reading. On the other hand, HB 2845 (Strengthening the University of the Philippines as the Country's Premier University), which was already passed by the House, is awaiting a Senate version. Other bills remain pending for committee action but most of Monday's (12 November) plenary session was consumed by privilege speeches and the session was later on suspended for the following day.
At the Senate, eight measures were approved on third and final reading a week after session resumed on 5 November. These are:
1. SB 1646 (Magna Carta for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises);
2. SB 1647 (Good Conduct Time Allowance to Prisoners);
3. SB 1658 (Quality Affordable Medicines Act);
4. SB 1662 (Batas Kasambahay);
5. SB 1697 (Anti-Theft and Robbery of Mobile Phones and Devices);
6. SB 1698 (Breastfeeding Act);
7. SB 1699 (Environmental Awareness and Education Act); and
8. Senate Joint Resolution No. 4 (Directing Law Enforcement Agencies to Provide Guidelines on the Presentation of Crime Suspects Before Media and the Public).
Ready for Round 3
Three years, three impeachment attempts against President Arroyo.
The first two times, the President's allies mustered the numbers to throw-out the impeachment challenge.
On 5 October 2007, a verified complaint was filed by Atty. Robert Rafael Pulido and endorsed by Rep. Edgar San Luis (Laguna, 4th district). In the three-page impeachment complaint, the President is accused of betrayal of public trust for her alleged knowledge and involvement in the controversial National Broadband Network project.
The impeachment proceeding in itself is in fact marred by controversies. This third impeachment attempt comes at a time when the ranks of administration congressmen seem to be dancing to different tunes. While some of the President's supporters are trying hard to bridge the differences, the gap between the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) led by Speaker De Venecia and President Arroyo's Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI) is getting wider.
The impeachment remains a numbers game, but the previous lopsided situation may not exist this time.
On 6 November, members of the House clashed in the plenary over a proposal to amend the rules on impeachment. Eighty-two House members, mostly from KAMPI, blocked the impeachment move and sent the proposal to the committee on rules. On the other hand, 50 legislators, mostly members of the opposition, favored the amendments. Interestingly, half of the 50 legislators are members of the ruling Lakas-CMD who favored the consolidation of the impeachment complaints. The adopted rules on impeachment are already in the order of business.
It was Jose De Venecia III, the Speaker's son who claimed that President Arroyo was aware of the controversial broadband contract and approved it. De Venecia III is the majority shareholder of Amsterdam Holdings Inc., the losing bidder for the government's broadband project, which was awarded to the Chinese company Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE).
The rift in the House further widened following the controversial "cash gifts" given to congressmen and governors in a meeting at Malacañang last 11 October. Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio was the first to disclose the incident to the public. Interior Secretary and KAMPI chairman Ronaldo Puno then pointed at Speaker De Venecia as the source of the money. Weeks later, House Deputy Speaker and KAMPI member Amelita Villarosa (Occidental Mindoro, lone district) admitted that the money came from KAMPI funds. The "gifts" were supposed to help their fellow congressmen in their respective districts. Ironically, Lakas and Liberal Party congressmen were also reported to have received the party funds. A resolution has already been filed and referred to the house ethics committee to probe the issue.
As early as the May 2007 elections, the two camps of Lakas and KAMPI were at odds over elective posts. In at least 58 districts, each party fielded their own congressional candidate. At the start of the 13th Congress, only Rep. Ferjenel Biron (Iloilo, 4th district) belonged to the Lakas-KAMPI coalition. Currently, at least 47 house members belong to the KAMPI bloc while 91 are aligned with Lakas.
On 14 November, the House Committee on Justice found the Pulido complaint insufficient in substance by a vote of 43-1. Rep. San Luis is the lone dissenter to the motion. With the current membership of the House at 240, the opposition would need at least 80 votes to reverse the committee ruling in plenary.
The pro-administration bloc is still a formidable force, but with the present political party system in place, the resolution of the impeachment, among other issues, remains a waiting game. Consequently, the passing of quality legislation may also have to wait as the same members of Congress who will be debating on the impeachment will be swamped conducting legislative investigations as well.
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