The 14 bills that Senator Aquino has authored during his three years in the Senate, as well as those in his three terms at the House of Representatives reflect his advocacies: reducing poverty and raising the standard of living, safeguarding workers’ rights and benefits, protecting human rights, curbing corruption, improving management of government funding, and strengthening democracy.
Dr. Wilfrido Villacorta, professor emeritus at De La Salle University and member of the Constitutional Commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution, has analyzed Senator Aquino’s legislative record and gave this conclusion:
“[Senator Aquino] believes that a true working democracy provides not only political freedoms but a better life for all Filipinos. A working democracy must be able to
provide jobs, education, social services and equitable economic prosperity for everyone, not just the privileged few.
“A man of strong convictions, [Aquino] lived up to his constitutional responsibility as an opposition senator to fiscalize the executive branch of government. Noynoy thoroughly examined the General Appropriations Act for 2009 [and every year without fail since his first term as Congressman] and proposed key amendments to the 2009 GAA that seek to tighten congressional oversight on the executive’s use of public funds.” (Read Villacorta’s full analysis
State of the nation, state of the future: Why Noynoy Aquino is most credible and competent | NOYPIPOL: The Official Blog of Sen. Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino)
Wala ba talagang nagawa si Noynoy sa lehislatura? - Issue - The Truth About Noynoy
His legislative record
A closer look at Senator Aquino’s legislative record reveals a consistency with his advocacies (read the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism’s analysis).
Protecting workers’ rights & improving living standards
• Senate Bill No. 1370 or the Workers Productivity Incentives Act of 2007 would grant annual productivity incentive bonuses to all workers in the private sector amounting to no less than 10% of the company’s net profits before taxes. This would help strengthen the economy because of consumers’ greater purchasing power (Senator Aquino filed a similar measure, House Bill No. 4251, during his tenure in the House of Representatives.)
• Senate Bill No. 2036 would amend Republic Act No. 6727, otherwise known as the ‘Wage Rationalization Act’, to increase the penalties for non-compliance of the prescribed increases and adjustments in the wage rates of workers (Senator Aquino filed a similar measure, House Bill No. 4252, during his tenure in the House of Representatives.)
• House Bill No. 4397, which sought regulatory power for the Department of Trade and Industry to effectively enforce consumer laws.
Human rights protection
• Senate Bill No. 2159, or the Superior Responsibility Act of 2008, would adopt the doctrine of ‘superior responsibility’ for all military and police personnel, in response to extra-judicial killings, particularly human rights activists and media practitioners. This measure aims to raise human rights awareness among security forces.
• House Bill No. 3616, which sought to extend the reglementary period for the educational qualification for PNP members. This was aimed at improving the quality of police officers.
• House Bill No. 1842, which sought the codification of criminal laws.
Government Procurement and Corruption
• Senate Bill No. 2160 would introduce an amendment to Republic Act No. 9864, or the Government Procurement Reform Act, which seeks to remove ambiguity so that the act would cover projects such as the National Broadband Network (NBN) project, the Cyber Education (CyberEd) project, and other projects of the scale. Removing the gray areas would ensure transparency on how tax money is spent.
• Senate Bill No. 2035 would require contractors to handle the regular maintenance and preservation for public infrastructure after the end of the project. This will ensure the quality of public infrastructure and prevent contractors from bilking the government of unnecessary costs.
• Senate Bill No. 3121 would add congressional oversight to budget decisions undertaken by the President, including budget rescission, reservation, and deferral. Strengthening Congress’s power of the purse would prevent the President from abusing the budget.
Strengthening democracy
• Senate Bill No. 2978 would amend Republic Act No. 6875, or the Local Government Act, to put in place parameters for the selection of PNP provincial directors and city/municipal chief of police for local government units. This measure is meant to reduce patronage politics and prevent local politicians from using security forces as private armies. It has passed the Senate and is currently pending with the House of Representatives.
• Senate Bill No. 1710 would ban the re-appointment of a regular member of the Judicial and Bar Council who has already served the full term. This measure’s objective is to strengthen the judiciary’s independence as as democratic institution. It has passed the Senate and is currently pending with the House of Representatives.
• Senate Bill No. 1719, or the Appointee Eligibility Act of 2007, would limit the reappointment of presidential appointees by-passed by the Commission on Appointments, in response to the alleged presidential abuse of appointments.
Hacienda Luisita: Paano ba nagsimula ang Hacienda Luisita, at ano ang batas ukol dito? - Issue - The Truth About Noynoy
Hacienda Luisita: Ano ang mga paraan upang maibigay ang lupa sa mga magsasaka? - Issue - The Truth About Noynoy
Originally Posted by joremz
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