Tuesday, April 24, 2007 Lawmaker dismisses PCIJ report on House dismal performance
HOUSE Majority Leader Prospero Nograles said the latest report from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) showing a "dismal" performance of lawmakers of the 13th Congress is "distorted."
In his reaction, Nograles said the PCIJ report aggregated the House of Representatives' and the Senate's performance, thus distorting the House's performance.
"House performance in 13th Congress is highest compared to the 8th until the 12th Congress. Data available at the committee on rules showed. Senate's performance on legislation affected the House who performed very well," Nograles said.
The Dabawenyo lawmaker said aside from making laws, Congress is also conducting inquiries that are integral to the function of legislative oversight. This is aside from the impeachment hearings they conducted, which is also part of their constitutional duty.
A PCIJ report posted at their website, www.pcij.org, said the 13th Congress passed the lowest number of bills of both national and local importance since 1987.
With a budget allocation of P12.51 billion, there were only 84 bills that were enacted into law and only 32 of these were of national significance.
The report said this translates to a budget of P148.94 million for each of the law enacted by the 13th Congress.
"Compared to its immediate predecessor, the 13th Congress had an allocation that was bigger by P1.27 billion. Yet it is 89 laws short of the accomplishments of the 12th Congress, which had posted the lowest output since the restoration of a bicameral legislature. That is, until this Congress, which has only three sessions to go once it resumes in June,' the PCIJ report said.
With the celebration of the 100th year of the Congress of the Philippines this year, the report said, there is very little to celebrate considering the poor performance.
The PCIJ report added that though Congress has indeed other non-legislative powers including the canvassing of the presidential elections, declaring the existence of a state of war, giving concurrence to treaties and amnesties, proposing constitutional amendments, and impeachment.
"But the enactment of laws is the primary purpose of Congress, and its reason for being. Hence, lawmaking is ultimately the yardstick by which the legislature will be measured to determine whether or not it has been fulfilling its mandate," the PCIJ report added. (BOT)
