FOURTEEN incoming neophyte lawmakers are undergoing an Executive Course on Legislation to prepare them for their duties and reponsibilities in the House of Representatives.
The course, conducted by the House and University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG), started Monday, June 17, for the first batch.
Two other batches of neophyte lawmakers will undergo the same course on June 24 to 26 and July 1 to 3, 2019.
House acting secretary general Dante Maling said the program will include a mock committee meeting and a mock plenary session so that new legislators will understand the proceedings.
“In behalf of the Secretariat po, let me give this assurance na kami naman po sa Secretariat have also evolved and we are quite sure na lahat po ng mga pangangailangan ninyo, bilang mga legislators for the next three years, ay kaya po naming matugunan,” Maling said in his opening remarks.
He said the new lawmakers will meet the House Secretariat officials, whom they will be closely working with in the next three years.
“Yung ating mga resource speakers ay pinartner-an ng mga kasama natin sa Secretariat, kasi yung mga kapwa opisyal namin ay yung mga makakasalamuha nila for the next three years. Ang isang nakikita naming problema kasi sa mga legislators yung pagdating nila rito, hindi nila ma-place kung saan sila pupunta, kung ano yung gagawin nila, sino yung mga taong lalapitan nila. Pero ito ihaharap namin sa kanila yung mga direktor at mga deputy secretaries general na makakasama nila,” he said.
UP-NCPAG Dean Ma. Fe Villamejor-Mendoza, for her part, said they will help neophyte lawmakers learn about the legislative process and policy process.
"We will equip the new legislators with some of the tools of the craft. In addition, yung workings of the House, kasi mayroon ding mga internal processes that they have to do and that they have to work on," she added.
Mendoza said that as part of their culminating activity, the new members will have the opportunity to create their own legislative agenda to srve as a blueprint for the 18th Congress.
"We hope that yung advocacy nila ay maisatupad bilang mga batas. Mayroon na naman silang notion of what their work is, binibigyan lang namin sila ng framework at mga mechanisms for them to work better," she said. (Ryniel Berlanga/SunStar Philippines)