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Proposed substitute Freedom of Information bill of 2012 from @govph

momblogger — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:33:04 +0000

This is the government’s version of the Freedom of Information bill.

President Aquino announced a proposed Freedom of Information bill on February 3. The draft was transmitted “by the Secretary of Budget and Management to administration coalition allies in the House of Representatives. This FOI bill is an integral element of the Aquino Good Governance and Anti-Corruption Plan of 2012-2016, which the President has recently approved subject to further refinements. This plan contains reforms and initiatives that pursue greater transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance.”

“This draft bill is a result of a consultative process after careful study of similar legislation by an administration study group in order to ensure that it serves public interest without compromising government’s legitimate rights—in other words, balance legitimate needs for secrecy with the public’s right to know

The administration study group is composed of Communications Usec. Manuel L. Quezon III (lead), Sec. Ramon A. Carandang, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, Sec. Florencio B. Abad, and Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, in coordination with the stakeholders.”. Its basis and framework was the consolidated version based, in turn, largely on the FOI bill sponsored by Rep. Erin Tañada. Extensive consultations were conducted with civil society and media proponents of FOI, as well as various agencies of the government. We believe that the draft we have submitted addresses the various concerns raised by different sectors, and will result in legislation that will strengthen the public’s access to information.

Proposed Substitute Freedom of Information Bill of 2012

Pamphlet Briefier Proposed FOI BIll 2012 from the administration

So should Marcos be buried in Libingan ng Bayani?

momblogger — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:07:06 +0000

Marcos, no war hero – educators

A group of Catholic school educators spoke out against a house resolution calling for the burial of former president Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, claiming the Martial Law dictator as a “fake war hero.”

The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) urged congressmen to withdraw their signatures from House Resolution No. 1135 and asked people not to make a “mockery of the service and sacrifice of Filipino war veterans by giving a hero’s burial to someone who is not only a fake war hero, but was also responsible for undermining democracy and development during his long tenure as authoritarian ruler. “

Around 200 solons signed the said resolution, including Marcos’ former Agriculture Minister Rep. Salvador H. Escudero III.

Fabricated tale

The group argued that Marcos’ “corrupt dictatorial regime” turned the country into the “sick amn” of Asia and that the claim that Marcos was a World War II hero is a “total fabrication.”

“Was Marcos really a ‘well-decorated soldier’? He may have been a war veteran just like many Filipinos of his generation. But a hero certainly he was not,” the CEAP statement read.

The educators asserted that the “elaborate tale” that Marcos led the “Maharlika guerilla unit” during the Japanese occupation was exposed as a fictitious story by American historian Alfred McCoy. An official United States military investigation made right after the war already declared it as a fraud.

They asked schools to be vigilant in the revisions and reinterpretations of history by people with vested interests.

“How can his supporters claim that Marcos `built the modern foundations of the Philippines’ when he presided over the country’s near economic collapse under the burden of behest loans and corrupt practices which to this day our nation has not fully recovered from?” the group added.

They also pointed out that the Marcos family and their cronies have yet to be held accountable for “serious charges of plunder.”

They quoted St. Augustine who said, “Charity is no substitute for justice withheld” then asked “Let justice be the tie that binds us as a nation.”

——-

Tonight, at Ces Drilon’s Rundown , she asks if the former president should be buried at the Libingan ng Bayani. Most were against the burial. @inabear cries out “AGAINST! It is a slap in the faces of the thousands illegally detained, tortured, killed and raped during martial law!” @johnraylucas says “He does not deserve to be buried there. Remember the horrendous moment in our history. For the victims of Martial Law’s sake” @MikoyCastro asks “what will parents tell their kids if we bury a dictator in Libingan ng mga Bayani. It ruins our nation’s credibility.”

@MCbermuda is in favor since “…of FM’s burial at the Heroes’ Cemetery. He is a hero in his own right and he did a lot of good things for the country.” @crisis73 adds that “If Gen. Reyes is there, Marcos should be there as well.”

There are undecideds too, @parizhelle13 ” pero kung iisipin deserving din naman kasi madami din syang nagawa. hirap naman magdecide. hahahaha ”

While some would want to move on @crispy_papa asserts that ” People who push for FM’s burial at LNMB while saying ‘we should all move on’ have no business talking about the matter”

Here are more reactions from twitter:

Source : Philippine Online Chronicles

How a bill becomes a law

momblogger — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 07:55:04 +0000

Senator Pia Cayetano says that even of the President does not include the Reproductive Health Bill in his priority measures, she will still continue on. I am not sure on the House of Representative’s stand is. House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr during his first days said he will work hard to make the House of Representatives live up to its name as “House of the people.”

A tweet tried to give allowances to the President’s move, saying that :

Exactly! > RT @SagadaSun: @tatancast Why even look to PNoy? Isn’t it Congress that makes the Laws? How much real CLOUT does he have with Congress now?”

Granting both houses are supportive of the RH Bill, the president’s approval is crucial in the last step as he can either approve or veto all of it. Vigilance is necessary. We need to remind the president on his campaign promises.

A bill becoming law involves a long process:

1. On 1st Reading, the title and number of the bill is read, and then, it is referred to the appropriate committee.

2. A committee studies the bill and conducts hearings on it. Thereafter, a committee report is prepared on the bill.**

3. The committee report is read in open session, and together with the bill, it is referred to the Rules Committee. The Rules Committee can place the bill in the 2 nd Reading Calendar or in the Calendar of Unassigned Business.

4. On 2nd Reading, a bill is subject to debate and amendment before being placed in the 3 rd Reading Calendar for final passage.***

5. After its passage by one house, the bill goes through the same process in the other house.

6. If amendments are made in one house, the other house must concur.****

7. When the bill is passed by both houses, it is signed by their respective leaders and sent to the President for approval.

8. The President may sign the bill into a law, or veto all or part of it. The bill becomes a law if, within 30 days after receiving it, the President fails to sign or veto the bill. The bill, even if vetoed by the President, also becomes a law when Congress overrides the veto by a 2/3 vote of all its Members.

Here is a more detailed discussion on “How a bill becomes a law“.

* A bill must relate to only one subject matter which must be expressed in its title.
** A Committee only prepares a report on a bill it decides to recommend for approval by the House.
*** A bill must undergo 3 readings on 3 separate days except when the President certifies a bill as urgent to meet a public calamity or national emergency.
**** If a house has a counterpart bill to a bill passed by the other house, and these bills have conflicting provisions, a conference committee composed of representatives of each house is formed to harmonize the conflicting provisions. Thereafter, if the conflicting provisions are harmonized, a conference committee report is prepared for ratification or approval by both houses.

here is the flow chart:

How a Bill Becomes a Law at House of Representatives & the Senate

Proposed Cyber Crime bills

momblogger — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:43:24 +0000

There are just too versions of the Philippine Cybercrime bill. Like Carlo Ople, I believe the section on child pornography is long overdue. There are just so many webcams out there featuring kids.

What worries me is the implementation. The internet’s strength was its open nature. Will it be like Tonyo says an “MTRCB for the web?” Centralising it would be a huge threat to innovation, evolution and growth of the web. Another worrisome aspect is having a cybercrime prevention unit. We can just train a few of our techno-savvy law enforcers on this.

Tonyo Cruz shared the full texts of five of the seven (?) pending House bills on “cybercrime” prevention.

House Bill 85 Proposed Cybercrime Act

House Bill 167 Proposed Cybercrime Act

House Bill 364 Proposed Cybercrime Act

House Bill 383 Proposed Cybercrime Act

House Bill 511 Proposed Cybercrime Act

Here is the Cybercrime Bill filed by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo:

House Bill 383 Proposed Cybercrime Act

Source of Photo: britannica.com

The Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Act of 2011

momblogger — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 04:15:14 +0000

Have you read the Reproductive Health bill?

The Reproductive Health Bill has passed the Committee level and has been consolidated. This is good news but this will still be deliberated at the Plenary.

From GMAnews.tv

The measure, entitled “An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development,” is a consolidation of the bills filed by the following lawmakers: House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman, Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, Muntinlupa City Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco Jr., Akbayan party-list Reps. Arlene Bag-ao and Walden Bello, and Gabriela party-list Reps. Luzviminda Ilagan and Emerenciana de Jesus.

The committee will prepare a report on its approval of the consolidated bill and will submit this report to the House Committees on Rules and Appropriations, after which the measure will be presented in the plenary, where lawmakers will discuss and vote on the measure on the floor.

Once the chamber approves the measure, it will submit the bill to the Senate for consideration. The Senate can either pass its own version of the bill or adopt the bill passed by the House.

After this, the bicameral conference committee will be convened to reconcile the respective versions of the House and Senate. Once the bicameral committee approves the bill, it will be returned to the House and Senate for approval and third reading. Then it will be submitted to Malacañang for the signature of the President. —

Here is the full text of the RH consolidated bill

The Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Act of 2011

Constitutional reform

momblogger — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:33:15 +0000

Does our constitution need to be changed? Is Parliamentary system better for the Philippines?