Only 2 cebu solons bag chairmanships Del Mar, Benhur get committees

CEBU, Philippines - Among the Cebuano lawmakers, only Cebu City north district Rep. Raul del Mar and Cebu fourth district Rep. Benhur Salimbangon got committee chairmanships in the House of Representatives.

The official Congress website shows that Salimbangon retained the Committee on Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources while Del Mar, who is back for a fresh term, is the chairman of the Committee on Interparliamentary Relations and Diplomacy.

It has been the practice in Congress that neophyte congressmen are not given committee chairmanships; at most they are appointed as vice chairman.

The neophyte congressmen in Cebu are Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. (1st district), Rep. Wilfredo Caminero (2nd district), Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia (3rd district), Rep. Aileen Radaza (Lapu-Lapu City lone district) and Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa (Cebu City south district)

Like Del Mar, Rep. Joseph "Ace" Durano (5th district) is also a returnee while Rep. Gabriel Luis Quisumbing (6th district) has also served before.

In an interview over Bantay Radyo yesterday, Quisumbing announced that he is the vice chairman of the Committee on Appropriations.

Of the 58 standing committees, ten are still vacant.

These are the committees on bank and financial intermediaries; energy; higher and technical education; poverty alleviation; public information; public order and safety; small business and entrepreneurship development; suffrage and electoral reforms; transportation; and youth and sports development.

There are also 11 special committees of which six are still vacant.

These are the committee on bases conversion; Bicol Recovery and Economic Development; East Asian Growth Area; Globalization and WTO; Millennium Development Goals; and reforestation. 

The website also posted that Gullas, who was designated as Assistant Majority Floor Leader, has authored nine House Bills now referred to different committees.

Caminero has not yet authored any, Durano and Radaza have one each, Abellanosa has two, Garcia has three, Quisumbing has five,

Salimbangon has 13 while Del Mar has the most number at 21 proposed House Bills.

No lawmaker from Cebu was appointed among the six Deputy Speakers.

In the 14th Congress for the term 2007-2010, Del Mar and former second district Rep. Pablo Garcia were among the six Deputy Speakers for the Visayas.

In the last Congress (2010-2013), Garcia was again appointed Deputy Speaker. -/BRP (FREEMAN)