A ‘crony’s’ son from Valenzuela goes to Congress

The eldest son of industrialist William Gatchalian said he gets "upset" when his father is called an "Estrada crony" and wants people to stop using that term.

But in the same breath, Sherwin Gatchlian, 27, declared being branded a "crony’s son" is not a setback to him as the first representative to Congress of Valenzuela City’s first district, a new district. "I just ignore it and do my job," said the neophyte congressman who ran under Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco’s party, the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).

Gatchalian has outlined three major programs for his district, namely: infrastructure, to address the flooding problem; the construction of school buildings; and providing livelihood for residents.

He said upgrading the roads and dredging of waterways are short-term answers to the floods, which he wants to coordinate with the city government to avoid overlapping of projects.

Meanwhile, perimeter concrete diking and the revival of canals are long term solutions. He is also calling for the cooperation of Valenzuela’s neighboring cities in addressing the perennial flood problem.

Gatchalian also stressed the need for discipline among the people to make the solutions for any problem – be it flood, garbage, traffic or work. For instance, he is open to vehicle towing which are illegaly parked, in Valenzuela if only to instill discipline.

Construction of new school buildings, meanwhile, will help decongest the overcrowded classrooms. According to Gatchalian, there is an average of 75-80 students per classroom at present.

Zero budget

For all these projects, however, Gatchalian said he has to scrounge for funding. "Since my district is new, it was not included when funds were appropriated." The first district was created when Valenzuela became Metro Manila’s 12th chartered city in 1998. He added that he also does not have the P50-million a year Community Development Fund (CDF). "Good thing," he said, "there are a lot of public funds that can be tapped." The office of Senator Loren Legarda-Leviste for one, has allocated P10 million for the upgrading of roads in Barangays Mabolo and Malanday.

Gatchalian has filed two resolutions in Congress that are "calls to action" to meet immediately the kidnapping problem in the country. Other congressmen have filed a similar resolution but Gatchalian said his was specifically for the Filipino-Chinese like him.

"The Filipino-Chinese community somehow needs special recognition. We don’t want Filipino-Chinese businessmen to invest in China instead," Gatchalian said. "I don’t think we want that now. We want our people to stay and invest in our country."

Gatchalian has also filed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the alleged anomalous contract with the Philippine International Air Terminals Co., Inc. or PIATCO to operate the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) 3. A concession agreement was signed between the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and PIATCO in 1997 but amendments were introduced when jailed President Joseph Estrada assumed office the following year.

An OFW industry

Gatchalian noted that OFW employment is a major player in the economy, with remittances "so big it is almost an industry itself."

He agrees with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s "request" for migrant workers to stay employed overseas. "Let’s be realistic. (critics) say there are a lot of moral issues if you let them work abroad. But if you let them stay here and they’re jobless, there are also a lot of moral issues there. And the President specified that it’s only for now while the economy is not in shape yet."

Gatchalian has filed a bill creating pre-need insurance for OFWs, similar to ousted Social Security System (SSS) president Vitaliano Nañagas’ SSS Flexi-fund. The insurance will include disability benefits among others, Gatchalian said. "OFWs send every single cent to their family (that) spends everything. So when something happens to them when they come back, where will they get the money?

Gatchalian also seeks to amend the "Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Workers Act of 1995" in House Bill No. 2159, proposing "The Loan Windows for Filipino Migrant Workers Act of 2001."

The bill aims to allow government financial institutions (GFIs) to extend a loan to migrant workers with the prevailing interest rate to be determined by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). "The (current act) says that it is illegal recruitment to make a worker pay any amount greater than what he actually received as a loan. So a person who loans the OFW money cannot charge interest lest he be accused of illegal recruitment. But who wants to lend money without charging interest?" Gatchalian explained. If the GFIs are allowed to charge interest, then OFWs can go through the legitimate route to avail of loans instead of going to illegal recruiters. "It’s nothing fancy," Gatchalian said of the amendment, "but it makes sense."

Not a Spice Boy

Gatchalian will never be a Spice Boy nor a Bright Boy. Instead, he is part of a group of 15 young and new legislators who are set to formalize themselves as a bloc in the House. Among the members of the group are Reps. Gilbert Remulla (NPC, Cavite), Raffy Biazon (LDP, Muntinlupa), and Maite Defensor (Lakas, Quezon City).

According to Gatchalian, theirs is a "non-partisan, issue-based group." "We don’t want to play politics so we can move forward. We want to fight for several issues and help each other."

Among other things, the group, which has yet to find a name, wants to reduce the minimum number of grams of shabu seized from a suspect to warrant the death penalty. According to the law, any person caught in possession of at least 200 grams of shabu, if found guilty, could face capital punishment.