Sunday, August 12, 2007 Kampi wants slot in appointments body
THE Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) is trying to “put its act together” after losing its bid to wrestle speakership from Pangasinan Representative Jose de Venecia Jr. Now, Kampi wants to get a seat in the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA).
Its nominee, North Cotabato Representative Emmylou Talino-Mendoza, could join three other representatives from Mindanao in the bicameral body in which the 12-man House contingent will be headed by Davao City Representative Prospero Nograles Jr.
Two congressmen from Mindanao have already been named to join the CA, Representatives Rodolfo “Ompong” Plaza of Agusan del Norte and Abdullah “Bobby” Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte.
The House has yet to names all its nominees to the congressional body although Kampi Representative Rodolfo Albano III of Isabela have already been assured of seats in the commission.
“I hope Kampi will continue to put its act together so that another Kampi representative from Mindanao can join the Commission on Appointments,” de Venecia told a meeting of the Mindanao Caucus.
The caucus is composed of 59 Mindanaoan lawmakers, where three of them have already been named to chair various committees: Representatives Herminia Ramiro of Misamis Occidental, accounts; Pax Mangungudatu of Sultan Kudarat, Mindanao Affairs; and Pedro Romualdo of Camiguin, East Asia Growth Area (Eaga).
Maguindanao Representative Simeon Datumanong has retained his post as Deputy Speaker for Mindanao while returning Representative Thelma Almario of Davao Oriental is already assured of her old post as vice chairman of the powerful House committee on appropriations.
Aside from two opposition lawmakers, Representatives Darlene Antonino Custodio of South Cotabato-General Santos City and Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City, the caucus is composed of parties allied with the majority coalition.
But de Venecia said he is hopeful that Rodriguez, a former spokesman of deposed President Joseph Estrada, will join the coalition “soon.”
De Venecia said the caucus is composed of highly-qualified members who could work for the development of Mindanao.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has scheduled a series of meetings between the Mindanao lawmakers and the different secretaries of the Cabinet to address their major concerns. The meetings will begin on August 29, with Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap as the main speaker, focusing on the problems confronted by farmers on the island, including floods and plant pests infesting palay crops in many provinces, principally, North Cotabato which, Representative Bernardo Piñol said could cause damages worth no less than P100 million.
Nograles said the caucus will also ask Yap to relocate the agriculture department’s main offices in Mindanao, which is considered as the “food basket” of the Philippines.
After the agriculture department, the congressmen are also scheduled to meet with the secretaries of the agrarian reform, public works and highways, budget, and environment and natural resources departments. (Sunnex)
