House leaders see back-breaking agenda this year

The House leadership sees at least five issues — which may include the controversial "Hello, Garci" wiretap probe — that will keep the chamber busy at the start of the new year, senior House leaders said yesterday.

Among the measures of utmost importance are the long-delayed deliberations on the P1-trillion national budget for 2006; the anti-terrorism bill, Charter change; the P125 legislated wage hike demanded by labor groups; and the Marcos wealth bill to award long-awaited compensation to victims of human rights violations during martial law.

House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles and Deputy Speaker for Mindanao Gerry Salapuddin said they also have to finish the inquiry on allegations that former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano helped rig the May 2004 presidential elections in favor of President Arroyo.

"We need to show the public some results of our tape probe as far as legislation is concerned," said Nograles, referring to the wiretapped recordings forming the basis of their inquiry.

He and Salapuddin said they see "no further need to prolong the investigation, since the House should now come up with the necessary remedial legislation."

Salapuddin said that, if the objective of the hearings was to undo the results of the elections, then the probe was a waste of time, since the issue of the legitimacy of Mrs. Arroyo’s presidency "had already been legally settled by the Supreme Court sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET)."

The Basilan congressman also said that "if any person or candidate feels aggrieved or shortchanged by Garcillano or any Comelec official, the right thing to do is to file the appropriate case against him or them in the court."

However, Salapuddin added that "this is not to say though that the hearings are not useful or necessary. Without us minding it, our economy and image are strenuously affected by every twist and turn of this political circus."

On the 2006 national budget, Nograles said the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) should be approved and submitted to the Senate before the end of January.

The anti-terrorism bill has passed second reading and House members see no problem in having it approved on third and final reading, Nograles said.

Plenary debates on the legislated wage hike sought by labor groups have begun in the House, Nograles said, adding that the lower chamber will pursue the measure to help workers, in addition to the non-wage benefits granted by the Palace.

Salapuddin said the House will definitely give efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution a stronger push next year to complement Malacañang’s push for political reforms: "We will not allow negative sentiments regarding the consultative commission’s no-elections proposal to derail Cha-cha. There is much more to amending the Charter than having or not having elections in 2007."