MANILA — With only a few months left before the 17th Congress closes, Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Monday said the House of Representatives would strengthen its oversight function to oversee the implementation of President Rodrigo Duterte’s legislative agenda.
“We are now moving in the last months of the 17th Congress. Since more of the priority bills of President Duterte are now in the final stages , we have to start moving to the oversight functions so that the implementation can be attended to and we would like to help the executive department to focus and to see what are the problems of implementation,” Arroyo said in an ambush interview.
Arroyo, who attended the inaugural hearing of the newly-created House disaster management committee, said the chamber’s oversight function could help maximize the benefits of key pieces of legislation by ensuring their effective implementation.
“The additional oversight function of the legislature will be useful not only in regulating… but even more so in encouraging our implementers from the executive branch so that they can remain focused and strive for maximum results in the shortest possible time,” Arroyo said during the hearing.
“Because the reality is at this late stage, it is very difficult to expect new legislation to happen. So, at this point in our congressional calendar, it’s time for us to start focusing on our oversight functions,” Arroyo added as she directed the committee to focus on the oversight of Marawi rehabilitation.
The House of Representatives has recently reactivated the congressional oversight committee with the election of Minority Leader Danilo Suarez as its new chairman.
Among the priority measures that were enacted into law include the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, the Universal Access to Quality Education Tertiary Education Act, and the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
Meanwhile, other key legislation that are already in the final stage in Congress are the Creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience, Trabaho bill, rice tariffication bill, and mining tax bill, among others.
