LEYTE Rep. Martin Romualdez yesterday called for austerity in celebrating the fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday in the wake of the recent calamities that affected the country.
The First Regular Session of the 20th Congress is set to open on the morning of July 28. The President will deliver his SONA in the afternoon before a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Romualdez, who is expected to be reelected as Speaker when the 20th Congress opens, particularly called for simple ceremonial arrangements for both the opening of the new Congress and the SONA.
He noted that “in the past weeks, tropical cyclones Crising, Dante and Emong have displaced families, destroyed livelihoods, and left many of our kababayans struggling to get back on their feet.”
“It would be out of touch to maintain a show of pageantry while our people are still in recovery,” he said, stressing that “the opening of Congress is not a fashion event, it is a working session. Let’s begin it with the seriousness and humility our times demand.”
Romualdez said he has requested the Office of the Secretary General to retain formal protocols but forego red carpet fanfare, fashion coverage and ceremonial staging, if possible.
“We will still observe decorum and tradition, but without the spectacle. The red carpet will be used for its functional purpose, not as a platform for display,” he said.
NATIONAL LAND USE BILL
A neophyte yesterday urged Marcos to call for the passage of the proposed National Land Use bill when he delivers his SONA.
The House of Representatives approved the measure, House Bill No. 8162, on third and final reading on May 22, 2023, with an overwhelming vote of 262–3 and transmitted it to the Senate on May 24, 2023, but the Senate failed to pass the bill.
“It’s time, Mr. President. We need a clear and a just national land use policy,” Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos said in Filipino.
“The absence of such a law causes widespread urban sprawl, environmental destruction and troubles in communities,” Santos said.
The proposed measure seeks to rationalize land use planning, safeguard agricultural areas, promote sustainable development, and curb environmentally harmful land conversions.
Rep. Leila De Lima (PL, ML) has also filed her own proposed National Land Use Act under House Bill No. 2139, stressing the need for Congress to pass a comprehensive land use policy to ensure the sustainable use of the country’s land and physical resources.
If passed into law, De Lima said a nationwide hazard mapping and hazard risk assessment program “shall be implemented to determine areas in the country which are prone to severe flooding, landslides, river erosion, coastal erosion, lahar, earthquake, and other natural hazards.”
“We must seriously address land use misgovernance and prevent destructive developments and exploitation of land areas to the point of endangering the lives and livelihoods of our countrymen, and undermining our efforts for food security and disaster risk mitigation,” she said.
RUNAWAY WINNER
Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin yesterday said 291 lawmakers have signed a manifesto calling for the retention of Romualdez as Speaker of the lower house in the 20th Congress, including Davao Occidental Rep. Claude Bautista, a key ally and a former campaign manager of Vice President Sara Duterte.
She also named former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as among those who signed the manifesto, along with Negros Occidental Rep. Javi Benitez, a son of Negros Occidental Rep. Albee Benitez, who was also rumored to be among the contenders for the House’s top post.
Garin said she expects Romualdez to be the runaway winner, especially since no serious contender against him has emerged.
Garin also confirmed that newly elected Rep. Girlie Veloso (PL, Malasakit), which represents the group of Duterte ally Sen. Bong Go, has expressed intention to sign the manifesto, making her Romualdez’s 292nd supporter.
