With the House of Representatives ready to resume session on May 20, lawmakers in the 17th Congress are now preparing to get more laws passed in the remaining session days.
According to Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy of Bagong Henerasyon Party-list, House assistant majority leader, they are waiting for the approval of some laws by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Among these are the proposed laws to institutionalize the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Magna Carta of the Poor and Anti-Gender-Based Sexual Harassment Act.
At least 30 bills of the BH Party-list are still pending in the Senate after the House approved them on third and final reading.
“If the Senate is able to approve some of those 30 bills, the House would swiftly act on them so they can be sent to Malacañang at the soonest,” Herrera-Dy said.
Meanwhile, the Coalition of Associations of Seniors Citizens/Elderly in the Philippines Inc., on Thursday urged the Commission on Elections to recognize the legal officers of the party-list and accredit its official legitimate nominees.
Godofredo Villar-Arquiza, the Senior Citizens Party-list president, said the party-list clinched 505,850 votes in the 2019 midterm elections, securing them at least two seats in Congress.
He said the Comelec must immediately accredit its official legitimate nominees as counting of election votes is nearing to an end.
As its first nominee, Arquiza holds the party-list’s original registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Nov. 6, 2003 as amended on Nov. 27, 2013 and issued to him on Jan. 29, 2014 the original amended articles of incorporation and by-laws.
He said the party-list’s board of trustees issued a new resolution on May 6, naming its official legitimate nominees.
The board resolution and the sworn certificates of acceptance signed by the official legitimate nominees were submitted to the Comelec’s Law Department on May 10, 2019.
“Comelec should recognize the official act of our party-list’s official and legal board of trustees and proceed to accredit the official legitimate nominees named in the board resolution,” Arquiza stressed.
Arquiza said the party-list did not recognize a group of “disgruntled individuals” claiming to be its officers and nominees, after the Comelec issued a ruling on January 13, 2014 declaring void the said group’s alleged general assembly meeting on November 27, 2010.
The Comelec en banc stressed that the said group was not authorized to call for a general assembly meeting and that it merely fabricated its alleged list of members.
The same group did not appeal the Comelec’s ruling, thus, the uncontested ruling became final and executory after a 30-day reglementary period.
Arquiza also appealed to Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas and the three newly-installed Commissioners, namely Justice Socorro Inting, Atty. Marlon Casquejo and Atty. Antonio Kho Jr., to “help the cause of justice” for the senior citizens by accrediting the official legitimate nominees of the party-list. Rio Araja, Vito Barcelo
