By Brian Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. wants to empower ordinary Filipinos through laws that ensure accountability and transparency in government, Malacañang said, stressing that the “public demands a fairer system” amid the changing political landscape.
This after the President urged Congress to prioritize four specific bills: the anti-political dynasty bill; Independent People’s Commission bill; Party-list Reform bill; and the Citizens’ Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) bill.
“Ang nais ng Pangulo, mas lumakas ang kapangyarihan ng taumbayan at hindi ng iilang mapang-abusong politiko,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing Wednesday.
Castro said the President called on lawmakers to come up with proper definitions of “dynasty” under the anti-political dynasty bill and “marginalized sector” under the Party-list Reform bill to counter those who intend to abuse or circumvent the law.
“Nagbabago ang political landscape, marami ang umaabuso,” she said. “Nais ng Pangulo na ipabatid sa taumbayan na kayo ay may choice, choice na naaayon sa merito at hindi lamang dahil pare-pareho ng apelyido.”
Despite solons seeking to add more teeth to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) through the proposed Independent People’s Commission (IPC) Act, Castro said the ICI still enjoys the trust of the President.
The Palace press briefer also commended the ICI for its work as a fact-finding commission, which resulted in the filing of charges and freezing of assets against individuals involved in anomalous flood control projects.
“Sang-ayon naman ang Pangulo sa pagsulong ng IPC Act na tinawag niyang powerful body na siyang mag-iimbestiga sa lahat ng mga illegal infrastructure project sa bansa,” she said.
The Chief Executive likewise enjoined Congress to thoroughly study the possible duplication of work and overlapping of jurisdiction between the IPC and the Office of Ombudsman with regards to the two bodies’ functions as investigative authorities.
“Sa kabila nito, nananawagan ang Pangulo na siguruhing hindi ito magagamit sa pamomolitika,” Castro said.
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