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| Senator Grace Poe |
Q & A: Political columnist Mortz
Ortigoza interviewed recently Senator Grace Poe on the mocks of House of
Representatives Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez that the House of Senate was Mabagal
na Kapuluan (Slow Upper Chamber) in terms of passing, debating, and
concluding the bills there. Ortigoza posed also to Poe, a presidential
candidate in 2016 poll, about the procrastination of Congress in the amendment
of the Public Service Act (PSA) otherwise known as
Commonwealth Act No. 146 that should have avoided the tragic
incidents that befell Philippines’ Overseas Contract Workers (OFW) abroad
because they could not find gainful jobs in the Philippines. EXCERPTS:
MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA (MCO): Domestic
workers like Joana Demafiles and other female OFWs have been abused, raped, or
murdered by their masters in the Middle East Countries. Experts blamed the lack
of gainful jobs in the country thus the migration abroad of these people. Can
we blame Congress because its members did not act to open up the business
equities for foreign investors in the PSA so jobs come to the Philippines? Kung
ginawa ng Congress iyon 20 years ago we have probably avoided these Dimafiles
liked cases.
SENATOR GRACE POE: Kasi noon siyempre
the government has to take care of its own business assets, di ba? So ngayon we
are opening it kasi mas established na tayo. Kaya iyong Telco companies na
sinasabi ng ating pangulo na magkakaroon ng third telco player, puweding
fourth, fifth, mas may competition. Noon kasi kailangan nationalized, bago pa
lang tayo. The government had to invest and we saved the Filipinos would own it
but now I think there are more opportunities to everyone.
(Before, the government has to take care of its business, am I
right? Now, we are opening it because we are now established. That’s why the
telecommunication companies that the president wanted to have a third telco
player. We can even have fourth, fifth players so there would be more
competition. In the past we need to nationalize because our industries were in
infancy).
The government had to invest and we
saved the Filipinos would own it but now I think there are more opportunities
to everyone.
MCO: Speaker Alvarez ridiculed
incessantly in the past the Senate as the Mabagal na Kapulungan.
He said they have passed in the House of Representatives countless of bills
like the PSA in the third and final readings while the Senate only tackles now
the PSA?
POE: Alam mo iyon ang palagi niyang
sinasabi na ganoon, e. Ang importante sa amin sa Senado hinde namin basta basta
pinapasa ang isang bagay na hindi kami nag iingat. Hindi naman namin sinasabi
na hindi sila nagiingat basta kami malinis ang aming kunsensiya na nirerepaso
natin mabuti kasi lahat naman ng kailangan inuuna.
(You know that what he (Speaker) usually said. The important thing
for us in the Senate we don’t pass in haste the bill because we were careful.
We don’t say the members of the House of Representatives were not careful. Our
conscience is clear that we screen carefully what would be the priority bills
to be passed)
MCO: Was there a case where the House
of Senate passed a bill compared to its version at the House of Representative
where the congressmen there did not act on it?
POE: Tulad niyan noon inuna namin iyong
Freedom of Information na hindi naman napasa din sa Kongreso, pero ngayon mas
advance stage na kami ng Freedom of Information at ng ibang batas hindi naman
ito, ayaw ko ng magsalita, basta kortesiya na lang siguro sa isa’t isa.
(Just like before we prioritized the Freedom of Information (bill)
that the House of Representatives did not pass. Now, we are in the advance
stage of the Freedom of Information and other law unlike what he said, I don’t
want to discuss it, what we need is courtesy between the two chambers).
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