By Jose Cielito Reganit/PNA
MANILA — House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Tuesday said she will form an oversight committee to monitor the implementation of Republic Act 9207 or the National Government Center Housing and Land Utilization Act of 2003.
This, after her consultation with urban poor beneficiaries at the NGC West in Barangay Holy Spirit in Quezon City.
RA 9207, which facilitated urban poor housing in Quezon City, was signed into law by Arroyo when she was still President.
Arroyo said she will constitute the panel after finding out that problems still exist, like land-grabbing and failure in the re-blocking of some properties, that prevented some 10 percent of the beneficiaries from being awarded their own land titles.
“So when I was studying the law last night in preparation for the meeting today, nakita na meron pala oversight committee itong batas na ginawa noong panahon ko. Since meron pang nalalabing problema dito, sabi ko dapat i-constitute ang oversight committee (I found out that there is an oversight committee in the law that was passed during my term. Since there are still some remaining problems here, an oversight committee should be constituted),” she said.
She said constituting the monitoring body is consistent with her earlier pronouncement for the Lower House to exercise its oversight functions in the remaining months of her Speakership because they have already passed all the priority bills of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“This is very consistent with what I said when we left for the Christmas holidays, that we already passed many good laws — including my own law in 2003. But what is important now is to make sure that they are well implemented,” Arroyo said.
“So this is part of what I have been saying that that’s the task I think the House of Representatives should be doing for the next six months,” she added.
As provided by the law, the House Oversight Committee on RA 9207 will be headed by the chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee chairman, who is currently Cebu Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa.
Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, who is the district representative of the area, will be named as chair of the sub-committee on the concerns of Barangay Holy Spirit.
Arroyo said the oversight panel will hold its first hearing next week to thresh out the remaining problems of the residents in Barangay Holy Spirit.
