15th Congress, First Regular Session
As a neophyte member of the House of Representatives, Quezon City Third District Representative Jorge ‘Bolet’ Banal has identified good governance, health, education, livelihood, and peace and order as key areas of his legislative and governance agenda, and commits to be an advocate of accountability, transparency, and people’s participation in governance. The following are the highlights of his policy and program initiatives from July to December 2010:
1. Congressional Committees: Ensuring sound administration, oversight, and reform in Congress
- Voted Deputy Majority Leader of the 15th Congress, he is ex-officio member of all Standing Committees in the House of Representatives.
- As member of the Committee on Justice, he signed a resolution in support of the power of the House to initiate and conduct impeachment proceedings.
- He was a facilitator in the plenary deliberations on the 2011 General Appropriations Act. For the first time in 10 years, the national budgetwas promptly approved by the President in partnership with Congress.
- He proposed amendments to the 15th Congress House Rules, including the public broadcasting and recording of floor proceedings.
- In addition to his regular presence at meetings of the Committee on Rules and the Committee on Basic Education and Culture(where he is the Vice Chairman), he is among 43 out of 283 members of the House with perfect attendance of plenary sessions in its first 45 days.
2. Bills, Resolutions, and Congressional Initiatives: Giving equal voice to constituencies
- His proposed Araw ng Pag(b)asa Act of 2010 (HB 1457), declaring November 27 as “Araw ng Pag(b)asa” and a regular working holiday, was passed on first reading. It commemorates the birthday of national hero and known reader, Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr., with simultaneous storytelling sessions, and discussions of his life and works in the subjects Araling Panlipunan, Filipino, and English. It also institutionalizes governance by enjoining local communities to actively participate in the promotion of reading and literacy as a shared physical experience.
- He coauthored key measures of urgent national interest, i.e., the Reproductive Health (HB 513), Freedom of Information (HB 301), and National Land Use (HB 478) bills.
HB 513, which provides for a national policy on reproductive health and population and development, is one of six versions in the House referred to the technical working committee last December 2010. HB 301, implementing the right of the people to information on matters of public concern, andHB 478, instituting a zoning and land use policy act, were identified as among the priority measures of the Aquino administration and part of the global agenda on sustainable human development.
- He coauthored the Judiciary Independence Enhancing Act and Appointee Ineligibility Act (HB 947), banning the reappointment of a member of the Judicial and Bar Council who has already served the full term, in order to sustain the integrity of the Judiciary.
- He coauthored a resolution (HR 193) to investigate the compliance of public utilities and government franchise holders with labor laws, specifically on contractualization.
- He co-sponsored legislation (HB 1337) on the settlement, aid, and rehabilitation services for urban poor communities displaced by demolitions in danger areas, disasters and calamities, and government infrastructure.
- For the Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, he supported the move to proceed with the 2010 barangay and SK elections as mandated by Republic Act No. 9164.
- As member of the Committee on Justice, he voted in favor of the sufficiency inform and sufficiency in substance of the impeachment complaints against the Ombudsman.
- With 10 other solons, he filed an impeachment complaint against Supreme Court Justice Mariano del Castillo for betrayal of public trust.
3. Programs and Projects: Instituting education reforms
- 60 scholarships under the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Study Grant Programs were awarded to deserving students in the Third District, with each CHED scholar receiving an allowance P2,500 every semester.
- A SPED Building in Quirino High School for students with special needs was constructed, benefiting seven other barangays in the area (Amihan, Duyan-Duyan, Quirino 2A, Quirino 2B, Quirino 2C, Quirino 3A, and Quirino 3B).
- Successful community-based initiatives on education that originated in District 3 during his three-year-term as Councilor were continued, such as the weekly nutrition and reading program (Feed the Mind) from Mondays to Saturdays, and the literacy campaign (iLove2Read).
- He organized the Quezon City-wide celebration of ‘Araw ng Pag(b)asa’ in November 2010 with simultaneous storytelling sessions in public and private schools, the first iLove2Read Inter-school Declamation Contest participated by public high schools, and a Thanksgiving Concert for the project’s growing number of partners and volunteers from local government and the community, including Manila Water, the Rotary Clubs of Quezon City, Department of Education’s Division of City Schools, Quezon City Public Library, Capitol Jaycees, National Book Development Board, and Offices of Mayor Herbert Bautista and Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte.
- More than 50,000 ‘Bitbit ko ang Pag(b)asa’ schoolbags were distributed to students at day care centers and public schools.
- He undertook the following infrastructure projects: entrance gate of Project 3 Elementary School in Duyan-Duyan; flagpole at the F. Castillo Day Care Center in Bagumbuhay; and flagpole in front of the daycarecenter at the barangay hall in Bagumbuhay.
4. Programs and Projects: Improving access to health
- The Maternal Healthcare Program for Barangay Pansol was launched with the Office of Vice Mayor Belmonte, Institute for Popular Democracy, Institute of Politics and Governance, and SINAG Cooperative.
- He sponsored anti-rabies vaccination with Lions Club-Cubao at Luzon Area 5, Old Balara and Kaingin 2, Pansol.
- A ramp for persons with disability was constructed at the NVRC in Escopa 3.
- Drainage improvement was undertaken at Block 8, Escopa 2.
5. Programs and Projects: Pursuing partnerships with the private sector
- He enlisted the support of Kaya Natin! in implementing his alternative education and governance program for parents, out-of-school adults, and community leaders, with training modules on various topics such as good governance.
- Joining the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project, Alternative Budget Initiative, INCITEGov, Procurement Watch, and Kaakbay, among other groups, he signed the Open Budget Partnership Agreement between public sector and civil society representatives as a commitment to make government spending more transparent and accountable.
- Spearheaded by Kaya Natin! and volunteers from the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, a medical mission benefiting more than 180 indigent senior citizens in Barangay Escopa was held in partnership with his office. In addition to free medicines and check-ups, the senior citizens were given an orientation on senior citizens’ rights by legal advocates.
- He endorsed the Batino Elementary School, Project 3 Elementary School and Fort Aguinaldo Elementary School to the Acts of Hope for the Nation (AHON) Foundation, which sponsors public school libraries all over the country. All three schools received P500,000 worth of education materials from AHON.
6. Other venues for advocacy
- He was active on activities and discussions with government offices, non-government organizations, and other stakeholders on national and local concerns. Among other things, he (i) attended a legislators’ briefing conducted by Right to Know Right Now and the Transparency and Accountability Network on the Freedom of Information bill; (ii) attended a forum sponsored by the Ateneo School of Government and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung; (iii) held consultations on the Reproductive Health and Freedom of Information bills with residents of Pansol, Quirino 2-B, Blue Ridge A, St. Ignatius, and Loyola Heights; (iv) initiated talks with department secretaries and undersecretaries regarding district concerns and possible collaborations on health, education, livelihood, and peace and order; (v) raised constituent concerns to MMDA, TESDA, and DOTC; (vi) delivered a message on good governance in the yearlong program of the World Bank and the Ateneo School of Government for the Youth Leaders for Knowledge and Development; and (vii) gave a talk in the Bureau of Internal Revenue regarding the role of internal revenue officers in fighting corruption.
- He was inducted as a member of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation, Inc.
- He writes a weekly column, Bite Da Bolet, on Abante Tonite where he has shared his views on pressing national issues, among them the Supreme Court, barangay elections, and the challenges of a public servant, in order to inform and engage the participation of more citizens.
