MSC to MSU Nalalapit na!

Halos 6 na taon nang hinihintay ng mga estudyante ng Marinduque State College na kilalanin ang kanilang kolehiyo bilang isang ganap na unibersidad.

Noon pang 2007, munungkahi na ng dating Congresswoman Carmencita O. Reyes na palitan na ang pangalan ng MSC at gawin itong MSU. Ito ay para magkaroon din ng sapat na pondo upang makapag bukas pa ng mas maraming kurso at makapagpatayo pa ng sapat na silid aralan para dito. Ngunit sa kanyang termino ay umabot lamang ito sa unang pagbasa sa kongreso.

Sa panahon naman ni Congressman Allan Velasco noong 2010 muli nilang "nire-file" ang batas na ito, ngunit ito ay umabot lamang sa ika-tatlong pagbasa sa kongreso.

Ngayon, muli itong munungkahi ni Congresswoman Regina Ongsiako Reyes bilang House Bill 1820. Dinagdag niya dito na kinakailangan din magkaroon ng sapat na kagamitan ang unibersidad na magagamit ng mga mag-aaral upang mas mapalawig ang kanilang kasanayan sa napili nilang kurso.

Sa tulong ng kasalukuyang administrasyon, positibo ang ating kongresista na ito ay maisakakatuparan bago pa man matapos ang kanyang termino sa 2016. 

Congresswoman Regina Ongsiako Reyes, Kinilala bilang kinatawan ng Marinduque

Sa pagbubukas ng 16th Congress, kinilala ang nanalo at prinoklamang kongresista ng Lone district of Marinduque na si Congresswoman Regina "Ate Gina" Reyes.

Nitong nakaraang State Of the Nation Address  ni Pangulong Benigno Aquino III nagkaroon ng "Rollcall" ang bawat kinatawan ng Kongreso.

Nagkaroon din ng botohan para sa Speakership Position kung saan natili parin si Congressman Feliciano Belmonte Jr. ng 4th District of Quezon City bilang House Speaker.  

Mas Pinaigting Na Parusa Para Sa Magnanakaw at Sisira ng mga Road Signages

Tumataas ang mga naitatalang aksidente sa ating mga kalsada, isa sa mga tinuturong dahilan ay ang pagkawala at pagkasira ng mga "Road Signages" na kinakabit ng mga Local Government Unit at ng Department of Public Works and Highways.

Ayon sa tala ng DPWH, noon lamang Enero ng taong ito ay humigit kumulang na 42,558 piraso ng mga "Road Signages" ang ninakaw o sinira.

Dahil dito, naghain ng isang panukalang batas ang nag-iisang kongresista ng Marinduque na si Congresswoman Regina Ongsiako Reyes upang paigtingin ang parusa para sa mga magnanakaw at sisira ng mga ito.

Nakasaad sa kanyang House Bill 1302:

• Labing dalawang (12) taon hanggang labing limang (15) taon na pagkakakulong o multa na umaabot sa dalawang daang libong piso (P200,000) hanggang tatlong daang libong piso (P300,000) ang sinumang mapapatunayang nagnakaw, bumili at nagbenta ng mga road signages, early warning device, man-holes atbp. 

• Anim (6) na taon hanggang sampung (10) taong pagkakakulong o multa na umaabot sa isang daang libong piso (P100,000) hanggang isang daan at limampung libong piso (P150,000) ang sinumang mapapatunayang nagsira o sumira ng mga road signages, early warning device at man-holes atbp.

• Pagtanggal naman ng kanilang mga benepisyo at hindi na papayagang muling magtrabaho sa kahit anung posisyon sa gobyerno ang sinumang empleyado ng gobyerno na mapapatunayang pasimuno o kasangkot sa pagnanakaw, pagsira, pagbili at pagbenta ng mga road signages, early warning device, man-holes atbp.

Inaasahang mababawasan ang mga aksidente sa ating mga kalsada pag naisabatas na ito.

It’s Official: REYES is Marinduque Representative

The House of Representatives formally recognized Reyes yesterday as the duly elected representative of the province during its roll call of members.

Velasco was not invited to the opening session of the House in the morning and to the afternoon’s joint session. He was not included in the roll call.

Reyes was proclaimed on May 18, five days after the elections, beating Velasco by 4,000 votes.

However, on June 25, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) disqualifying the proclaimed winner for allegedly being an American citizen, which she has denied.

Last Tuesday, five days before the convening of Congress and more than two months after the May 13 elections, the Comelec annulled Reyes’ proclamation and proclaimed Velasco in her place.

That same day, Reyes appealed the SC decision upholding her disqualification.

She said the Comelec, in declaring her not qualified to run, relied on an article published on the Internet claiming she is an American citizen, and on photocopies of supposed immigration documents showing that she traveled using an American passport.

She said the poll body violated her right to due process by accepting such kind of evidence and by denying her the opportunity to present her side.

Citing the dissent of Justice Arturo Brion and three other justices to the majority decision upholding her disqualification, Reyes said the evidence was “double hearsay” and should not have been admitted.

Velasco’s non-recognition by the House in its roster of members means that he would now have to pursue his case against Reyes before the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET), even if the SC sticks to its decision disqualifying her.

Velasco has filed an election protest against Reyes with the HRET shortly after the latter was proclaimed on May 18.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II earlier said the Marinduque lawmaker’s disqualification should be resolved by the HRET, and not by the Comelec or SC.

While Velasco was not recognized as a member of the House, his mother, Lorna, was among those included in the roster of members. She represents the party-list group Ang Mata’y Alagaan.

Velasco skips SONA

Velasco decided to skip President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address in Congress yesterday, out of respect for the House’s decision to recognize Reyes as the representative of Marinduque.

“My absence in the opening session does not mean that I am giving up on my battle for the truth and what’s right, but instead, my absence shows my respect for the House and my colleagues and to the sanctity of the proceedings in the election for its speaker and other officers,” Velasco explained.

He said he chose not to attend the event to avoid any untoward incident in the proceedings, as he stressed that the House’s recognition of Reyes in its roll of members was just temporary.

Velasco said Reyes was temporarily recognized by the House’s secretary general because of her proclamation last May 18, which he said was annulled by the Comelec last July 9.

He expressed belief that any and all acts done by Reyes are null and void as he noted that she has no more legal basis to perform the functions of a representative. 

Velasco said he already wrote Belmonte for him to be recognized as the duly elected representative of Marinduque. – With Edu Punay

Mababasa dito

Magnitude 4.7 quake jolts Marinduque

MANILA -- A magnitude 4.7 earthquake hit Marinduque Wednesday evening, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

Phivolcs said the epicenter of the earthquake was located 15 kilometers northwest of Boac at 6:51 p.m.

Intensity IV was felt in Boac and Mogpog in Marinduque while Intensity III was felt in Lucena City, and Abra de Ilog in Occidental Mindoro.

The quake was tectonic in origin. It had a depth of 19 kilometers.

No damage was reported. Phivolcs said aftershocks are also not expected.

Mababasa dito

SB Remains!

MANILA (Updated 12:40 p.m.) -- Quezon City Representative Feliciano Belmonte Jr., a member of the ruling Liberal Party (LP), was elected to another term as Speaker of the House of Representatives on Monday.

The close ally of President Benigno Aquino III got 245 votes to regain control of the 280-member chamber.
This is Belmonte's third non-consecutive term as head of the chamber. He was elected Speaker in the 15th Congress. He led the House of Representatives in January to June 2001 during the term of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. 

LP Secretary General and Western Samar Representative Mel Senen Sarmiento nominated Belmonte in the opening session of the 16th Congress, where 267 out of the 289 members showed up and responded to the roll call.

"The 15th Congress was an active partner of the administration in achieving milestones and in creating policy foundations that now spur the momentum for economic growth," Sarmiento said.

Representatives Enrique Cojuangco (Tarlac), Rolando Andaya Jr. (Camarines Sur), Sharon Garin (Aambis-Owa), Marlen Abigail Binay (Makati City), Franz Alvarez (Palawan), and Rodolfo Farinas (Ilocos Norte) seconded Belmonte's nomination.

"It is apt to choose a leader who will bring the best in us in the next 1,000 days and boost our chances of being rehired or fired," Andaya said.

Representative Ronaldo Zamora (San Juan City), meanwhile, was elected House Minority Leader after falling behind Belmonte in the speakership race. Another candidate, Leyte Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, was third in the tally.

Under the rules, the nominee who gets the second highest number of votes will be designated as Minority Leader.

Zamora was appointed Executive Secretary during the term of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada in 1998.

The new Minority Leader was also one of the candidates for the highest post in the Supreme Court (SC) after former Chief Justice Renato Corona was ousted by the Senate impeachment tribunal.

Romualdez, the nephew of Ilocos Norte Representative Imelda Marcos, was all set to assume the responsibility of former Minority Leader Danilo Suarez. Both are members of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) of former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Romualdez, however, lacked the numbers to outvote Zamora. He only got 16 votes compared to Zamora's 18.

Over the weekend, the seven-member Makabayan bloc bolted the majority coalition and threw its support behind Zamora. The group said it found common grounds with the returning congressman in the issues of national industrialization, modernization of agriculture, and the release of all political prisoners.

Those who voted for Belmonte as Speaker are automatically members of the majority coalition while those who voted for Zamora will compose the minority bloc.

Navotas Representative Tobias Tiangco, a member of United Nationalist Alliance, abstained from voting. He said he'd rather go independent. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)


Mababasa dito

"Big Man" gets the Senate President Position

 

MANILA (3rd Update, 12 p.m.) -- Buoyed by allies of President Benigno Aquino III, Senator Franklin Drilon of the ruling Liberal Party returned as Senate President seven years after yielding the position in a term-sharing agreement.

Seventeen out of 23 senators present at the opening of the 16th Congress on Monday morning voted for Drilon while his predecessor, Juan Ponce Enrile, became Minority Leader after garnering the second highest number of votes at six.
Senator Ralph Recto was named Senate President Pro Tempore while Senator Alan Peter Cayetano became Majority Leader. 

Also elected were Oscar Yabes as Senate Secretary and Jose Balajadia as head of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms. 

Drilon got the support of Senators Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, Aquilino Pimentel III, Antonio Trillanes IV, Pia Cayetano and her brother, Teofisto Guingona III, Lito Lapid, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Sergio Osmeña III, Ramon Revilla, Jr., Recto, Cayetano and Enrile. 

Joining the list were neophyte Senators Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Grace Poe, Juan Edgardo Angara, and Cynthia Villar, whose husband Manny Villar took over the Senate leadership from Drilon in 2006.
Enrile was backed by Senators Jinggoy Estrada, JV Ejercito, Nancy Binay, Vicente Sotto III, Gregorio Honasan II and Drilon. 

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago skipped the session because of chronic fatigue that kept her at home for nearly six months. 

"We must be a sensitive and responsive Senate. A Senate that feels the pulse of the people. A Senate that is tireless in pursuing reforms to propel our beloved country to greater economic, political and social heights," said Drilon.

"But more important, we should be a critical thinking Senate. Debates are good and we should encourage that because the well-crafted laws are the ones that have been debated lengthily and passionately," he added.

Drilon recommended the following measures to help the country build on the gains in the economy and boost unemployment: rationalization of fiscal incentives, changes to build-operate-transfer law and mining fiscal regime, removal of investment restrictions in laws cited in the Foreign Investment Negative List.

He also pushed for faster resolution of cases, particularly in the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan, and passage of a law that will abolish the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) and establish the Bangsamoro region once the final peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is signed. 

"Now, more than ever, we must transcend political differences and focus on these challenges. We must think of innovations and solutions," said Drilon, who was Senate President in 2000 and from 2001 to 2006.

Estrada, who was Acting Senate President from the time Enrile resigned a day before the end of 15th Congress on June 8, opened the session.
The 12 winners in the senatorial elections last May then took their oaths after the resolution of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaiming their victory was entered into the records. It was followed by the election of officers. 

Drilon was the campaign manager of Team PNoy coalition as he denied speculations that the Senate presidency was a reward by Malacañang for the successful bid of filling Aquino allies in the Senate.
"The election of the Senate President is the mandate of the majority of the senators and the fact that nine Team PNoy candidates were elected into office would clearly deliver the message of the people that they want the policies of this administration to be sustained for the next three years," he said in a briefing last week. 

Discussions on committee chairmanships are still ongoing although the minority has yet to decide if it would follow Sotto’s suggestion not to head any committee so that they can objectively monitor the affairs of the Senate under the new leadership.
Estrada, however, is keen on keeping the chairmanship of the labor committee. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)

Mababasa dito

Legal fireworks at the Batasan?

 

It seems to be a “constitutional crisis” of its own making. By voting to uphold a ruling of the Commission on Elections annulling the proclamation of Regina Ongsiako Reyes as representative of Marinduque, the Supreme Court has placed itself and the poll body in a direct confrontation with the legislature, specifically the House of Representatives.

Indeed, reports have it that the House leadership has decided to let Reyes attend tomorrow’s opening of Congress as the sole and “official” representative of Marinduque’s lone congressional district.

Quezon City Rep. Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte, widely presumed to retain the post of Speaker, and presumed deputy speaker Neptali Gonzales II, so news reports say, have called on both the Supreme Court and the Comelec to “back off” from Reyes’ case. Since Reyes had already been proclaimed the winner of the congressional contest, and indeed had taken her oath of office as congresswoman, the position of the House is that it is now up to the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) to hear and decide the case.

Reyes’ opponent was former Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco, son of a Supreme Court justice.

Based on the complaint of a certain Joseph Tan, the Comelec en banc ruled that Reyes should be unseated because it had been “proven” that she had renounced her Filipino citizenship and had not established residence in Marinduque. When Reyes raised the issue to the Supreme Court, the tribunal ruled in the Comelec’s favor, although with four justices dissenting.

Reyes appeared before the media earlier this week brandishing proof of her citizenship: a genuine and legitimate passport and documents attesting that she had renounced her dual American citizenship. In fact, says Reyes’ camp, the newly elected congresswoman had not even been given the chance to refute the charges about her citizenship, charges based on a blog, with little proof offered.

As Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes stated in his earlier dissenting opinion (he later changed his mind): “…[T]he issue of the candidate’s qualification—particularly his residence and citizenship—requires exhaustive presentation and examination of evidence, which issues are best heard in a full-blown quo warranto proceeding and not in a summary proceeding as in the instant case.”

* * *

And now, because of the Comelec ruling and the decision of the Supreme Court, three branches of government are facing a head-on confrontation over which body has the ultimate right to decide on electoral contests.

In a statement, Reyes said that she “stood for the truth” (in a previous press conference) because “Congress deserves no less.” “To take a stand against the interference directed at a coequal branch of government is a duty particularly of ALL elected members of Congress. If members of the House cannot defend a literal commitment to their institution, no other branch of government will.”

It’s a political and constitutional crisis, all right, and at this point one wonders which of the three institutions will give way and give up its prerogatives. One wonders, too, if the justices will be able to set aside their collegial feelings (Justice Presbitero Velasco, Lord Allan’s father, recused himself from voting) and remain faithful to the law and its wise interpretation. Reyes has filed a motion for reconsideration, and we should know soon which among the three bodies will “blink” and save the legal infrastructure from imminent collapse.

So it seems there will be more to look forward to beyond P-Noy’s Sona and the stylish gowns and barong worn by lawmakers walking down the red carpet at the Batasan tomorrow afternoon.

We might yet see fireworks of a legal sort.


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