July 24, 2006 · Posted in: Congress Watch, In the News
House Speaker opens session with vow to forget partisan politics
THE House of Representatives dedicates itself to the task of going beyond partisan interests and, through a collective effort, “make both our country and ourselves better.”
Thus vowed House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. as he declared open at 10 this morning the 3rd regular session of the 13th Congress.
De Venecia descibed the present as fraught with danger: “In these parlous times, politics must become what the Czech intellectual Vaclav Havel calls the “art of the impossible” — that of working cooperatively and transcending partisan interests.
The Speaker reported on what he referred to as the chamber’s “two great initiatives” in the last two sessions: the passage of a law on Expanded Value-Added Tax (VAT), and the push for charter change.
“Our approval of (the E-VAT law) came with a heavy price,” de Venecia said. “It caused our popularity to dip even further. Yet we endured because we did what was right and necessary for the nation and our people.”
Of the House’s efforts to have the two chambers of Congress convene as a constituent assembly for revising the charter, de Venecia lamented: “The Senate, regrettably, did not share this House’s sense of urgency in dealing with this great reform initiative.”
De Venecia also spoke of the attempt to impeach President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, which he described as “an unfortunate event.”
Read the Speaker’s full speech.
4 Responses to House Speaker opens session with vow to forget partisan politics
naykika
July 24th, 2006 at 4:16 pm
Somewhere in his Speech, Speaker De Venecia mentioned about the Threats to Democracy. I’m wondering why? Are they Threats to Democracy or Autocracy? Mr. De Venecia, if you have Democracy, as I have known it, your President doesn’t need l6,000 troopers for security during her delivery of the State of the Nation Address. If you have Democracy, as you may have “known” what you’re talking about, you won’t have your own soldiers plotting to overthrow that Democracy. Please try to re-visit the meaning of the word.
mac.bh
July 24th, 2006 at 9:17 pm
“Our second initiative, which focused on reforming the 1987 Constitution, has moved with much less success through no fault of ours.”
I do not understand what he mean by — through no fault of ours—- is he washing his hands at the cost of the opposition? . Democracy though play in numbers requires being smart, being smart sometimes means to compromise.
“the House has managed to save some 255 million pesos in two years”
That is peanuts compared to pork barrel, the source of all evil in the house, that needs to be scrapped. The mandate is to create laws not to spend budget
“We shall deal with them according to the manner prescribed by the Constitution.”
Yes deal it under the rules of technicality, is that the manner of prescribed by the constitution?
“So that our duty as Representatives of the people is clear”
When did these representatives ever consult the people under their wing? As a matter of fact it is the reverse. Instead of pushing the representative to make consensus and move to remove the president via impeachment what people do? They rally to the palace on their own! So what kind of representative system is he talking about here?
Cecile Impens
August 2nd, 2006 at 3:53 am
Mr. De Venecia spoke of the chamber’s “two great initiatives”, the eVAT and the Charter Change.
Great initiatives? Mr. De Venecia apparently has no idea what are the great initiatives the Filipinos are asking for.
First; cheap/moderate prices of commodities that could respond to the “needs” of the populations, and not imposing more VAT on everything. This eVAT kills the already dying Filipinos.
Second; that all plunderers, liars and corrupts be out of the government, for good! This cha-cha initiative is just “another collar” to be fitted to the old “flea infested political dog” of the administration!
These two great initiatives De Venecia was refering to was indeed, the two serious crimes committed against the poor/agonizing Filipinos. The EVAT is to starve the people and the ChaCha, the sure killing of their rights to suffrage/political choice.
Van Helsing
August 2nd, 2006 at 12:58 pm
True, true…
So, what’s so great about these “two great initiatives”?
1. E-VAT – this greatly made the already poor Filipinos more greatly poorer. Kumita ang gobyerno out of the E-VAT, for what, para ipambayad sa utang na hindi naman ginusto ng taong-bayan. Ipandagdag sa budget deficit ng gobyerno na ang bottom-line ay sa sariling bulsa pa rin nila mapupunta. Napakadali nilang pinahirapan ang masa sa pamamagitan ng “Great E-VAT” na ito pero hindi muna pinursige ang hulihin ang mga “Great Tax Evaders”.
2. Chacha – Oh Great JDV, what a great way to make your “great boss” stay in great power. This indeed is a great initiative to achive political survival considering that GMA is in great deep water from great issues hounding her. You are trying to run the “Numbers Game” by proposing to convene both houses as one because you are so desperate to pass this Great Chacha. Bakit kaya?!