TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Rep. Ellen Jesse C. Mangaoang is saddened over the delays in the passage of his pending national and local bills in the different committees of the House Representatives because of the heavy impact of the Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ0 that was downloaded general community quarantine (GCQ).
Mangaoang, who chairs the House committee on national cultural communities and indigenous peoples, said that among the bills that had been prejudiced by the global pandemic include the conversion of local to national roads, upgrading of the status of elementary and high schools, the establishment of the Kalinga Sports training Center, and the conversion of the Kalinga Provincial Hospital and the Northern Cordillera Regional Hospital.
The Kalinga lawmaker said that representatives from concerned government agencies and members of the House committee on health were supposed to conduct a public hearing on his bill for the put up of the Northern Cordillera Regional Hospital in the province last March 21, 22, 23, 2020 but the same was eventually cancelled because of the Luzonwide ECQ.
When Congress resumed sessions last May 4, 2020, he disclosed that the priorities of the House leadership was for the passage of bills on the grant of stimulus package for businesses, and other related bills to get the country’s economy started following the enforced closure of establishments and the displacement of workers during the ECQ and GCQ.
According to him, Congress is rushing the passage of the priority bills of the administration to combat the heavy impact of the global pandemic to the country’s economy that is why the schedules of the different House committees had been concentrated in the deliberation of such priority measures before the adjournment of the first regular session of the present Congress.
Mangaoang expressed optimism that deliberations and committee hearings on proposed national and local bills will resume during the second regular session that will start on the 4th Monday of July even with the observance of physical distancing so that priority local bills will advance in the House committees so that local concerns will also be given priority.
He explained that he will work out the scheduling of his priority local bills in the different House committees to allow the same to move and be acted upon for the benefit of the residents of the province wanting to have better state of health facilities to ensure the delivery of quality health care services to the people in the remote villages of the province and other neighboring provinces wanting to avail of health services in the regional hospital that will be established.
After a bill is passed in the House of Representatives, the same will be submitted to the Senate for the passage of a counterpart bill before the approved legislative measure will be submitted to the Office of the President for signing into law.
Mangaong appealed to the people of Kalinga for patience and understanding on the delays in the passage of important legislations concerning the welfare of the greater majority of the residents as his office is doing its best to work out the scheduling of the deliberations of his priority bills during the present Congress.
By Hent
